JPH10169765A - Driving direction judging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving direction judging device capable of improving the judging precision of a driving direction when judged in accordance with the running condition of a vehicle. SOLUTION: A driving direction judging device to detect the running condition of a vehicle and judge the driving direction of the vehicle in accordance with the detected running condition has a road condition detecting means to detect a road condition for the vehicle to run (step 1) and a judgement method changing means to change a judgement method for the driving direction in accordance with the detected road condition (steps 2, 3, 4, 5).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving orientation determining apparatus for determining a driver's intention while a vehicle is running.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in order for a vehicle to travel smoothly on a road, it is necessary to adjust the state of a driving force control device such as an engine or a transmission to the road conditions. There are cases where the output of the device is changed, and cases where the output of the driving force control device is automatically changed based on the running state detected by various sensors.

[0003] Here, if the driving force control device is controlled by the driver's operation, the driver's intention is easily reflected on the running performance of the vehicle, which has the advantage of improving drivability. Changing the output of the driving force control device has a problem that the operation of the driver becomes complicated.

Further, if the output of the driving force control device is automatically changed, there is an advantage that the operation burden on the driver is reduced, while the output of the driving force control device is changed based on preset control contents. Therefore, there is a problem that the driver's intention is not easily reflected on the traveling performance of the vehicle and drivability is reduced.

Therefore, in recent years, in order to address the above two problems, the driving direction is determined based on the running state of the vehicle, and the determined driving direction is reflected in the control contents of the driving force control device. A driving force control device for a vehicle has been invented that can reduce the operation burden on the user and improve drivability. An example of such a vehicle driving force control device is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-72591.

The vehicle driving force control device described in the above publication includes a vehicle position specifying means for detecting a current position of the vehicle, and a traveling road for obtaining an estimated position of the vehicle several seconds later with reference to an electronic map. Estimating means, running resistance measuring means for obtaining the current load state in the drive system of the own vehicle, and driving force prediction for correcting the current load state based on the gradient information of the electronic map to obtain the required driving force at the estimated position Means and one of the engine and automatic transmission based on the required driving force,
A drive system control means for suppressing fuel consumption within a range capable of coping with a required driving force, and a driver for detecting a change in a driving pattern of the driver by detecting a state of a throttle operation of the own vehicle by a traveling driver. Operation intention detecting means.

According to the above-described vehicle driving force control device, a driving force margin is determined based on a road condition and a driver's driving direction, specifically, an accelerator opening deviation, and based on a necessary driving force including the driving force margin. Since the read-ahead control is performed, it is possible to reflect the driver's intention in the control content of the driving force while realizing the driving force control for improving the fuel efficiency, and it is possible to solve the above two problems.

[0008]

However, in the vehicle driving force control device described in the above publication, the driving orientation of the driver is determined irrespective of the road conditions on which the vehicle travels. Therefore, if the driving pattern inevitably changes for the purpose of causing the driving force of the vehicle to correspond to the change in road conditions, the change in the driving pattern may be erroneously determined as being driving-oriented.

For example, when the road condition on which the vehicle travels changes from a flat road to an ascending road, an operation is performed to increase the accelerator opening inevitably to secure a driving force corresponding to the gradient resistance. However, by this operation, it is erroneously determined that the driver's intention is in the driving orientation with emphasis on the power performance.

When the driving orientation determined in this way is reflected in the control of the engine and the automatic transmission when traveling on a flat road, the driver's intention is to drive the vehicle with an emphasis on fuel efficiency. However, the engine and the automatic transmission are controlled based on the erroneously determined power performance orientation, and there is a possibility that the drivability is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a driving orientation determining apparatus capable of improving the accuracy of driving orientation determination when determining driving orientation based on the running state of a vehicle. It is intended to be.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a running state of a vehicle,
A driving direction determining device for determining a driving direction of the vehicle based on the detected driving state; a road condition detecting means for detecting a road condition on which the vehicle is traveling; and the driving based on the detected road condition. A determination method changing unit configured to change a direction determination method.

Here, data representing the running state of the vehicle include acceleration / deceleration, vehicle speed, operation of an accelerator pedal, operation of a brake pedal, brake oil pressure, steering angle, lateral acceleration, shift position of an automatic transmission, engine rotation. The number is exemplified. Further, specific examples for changing the determination method include control for changing the criterion itself based on the road condition, and control for changing the data indicating the traveling state itself based on the road condition. Also, road conditions include
In addition to the situation of the road itself, the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle existing around the own vehicle is also included.

According to the present invention, in determining the driving orientation of the driver based on the traveling state of the vehicle, the method of determining the driving orientation is changed based on the road conditions on which the vehicle travels. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the traveling state inevitably occurring on the basis of a change in the road condition regardless of the driver's intention from affecting the determination of the driving orientation, thereby improving the accuracy of the driving orientation determination.

[0015]

Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic system of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. An engine 1 as a driving force source is mounted on the vehicle, and an automatic transmission 2 is connected to an output side of the engine 1. ing. The depression amount and the depression speed of the accelerator pedal 3 operated by the driver are detected by an accelerator pedal sensor 3A, and the detection signal is input to the engine electronic control device 4.

The intake pipe 1A of the engine 1 is provided with an electronic throttle valve 6 driven by a throttle actuator 5. A control signal is output from the engine electronic control unit 4 to the throttle actuator 5 according to the operation state of the accelerator pedal 3, and the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 is controlled according to the control amount. .

The engine electronic control unit 4 for controlling the engine 1 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device (RAM, ROM) and a microcomputer mainly including an input / output interface.

The engine electronic control unit 4 includes an output signal of an engine speed 7 and an output signal of an intake air amount sensor (air flow meter) 8 in addition to a signal corresponding to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 3. The output signal of the intake air temperature sensor 9, the output signal of the throttle opening sensor 10 for detecting the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6, the output shaft speed of the automatic transmission 2, in other words, the output of the vehicle speed sensor 11 for detecting the vehicle speed. A signal, an output signal of the cooling water temperature sensor 12, an output signal of the brake pedal sensor 13 for detecting a depression amount and a depression speed of a brake pedal, and the like are input as control data.

The engine electronic control unit 4 outputs a signal to the fuel injection device 14 and an igniter 15 for changing the ignition timing when the automatic transmission 2 shifts, in addition to the control of the throttle actuator 5 described above. It is configured as follows. Further, a signal is also input to the engine electronic control device 4 from a navigation system described later,
A control signal is output to the throttle actuator 6, the fuel injection device 14, the igniter 15 and the like based on these input signals.

On the other hand, the stepped automatic transmission 2 includes a torque converter, a lock-up clutch, a gear transmission mechanism,
A known structure such as a friction engagement device is provided. The hydraulic pressure acting on each friction engagement device and the lock-up clutch of the automatic transmission 2 is electrically controlled by a hydraulic control circuit 16. The hydraulic control circuit 16 includes a shift solenoid valve for setting a shift position of the automatic transmission 2 and a linear solenoid valve for controlling hydraulic pressure and line pressure acting on a lock-up clutch.

An electronic control unit 17 for an automatic transmission for outputting a control signal to each solenoid valve of the hydraulic control circuit 16 is provided. The electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission, like the electronic control unit 4 for the engine, includes a central processing unit (CPU) and storage devices (RAM, ROM).
And an input / output interface. Therefore, the engine electronic control unit 4 and the automatic transmission electronic control unit 17 can be integrated as necessary.

The electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission performs a calculation based on input data in accordance with a shift diagram and a calculation formula stored in advance, and outputs a control signal based on the calculation result to each of the solenoid valves. Setting of shift position, control of engagement / disengagement of the friction engagement device during shifting,
Alternatively, control of engagement / disengagement of the lock-up clutch, control of transient hydraulic pressure during gear shifting, and the like are executed.

The electronic control unit 4 for the engine and the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. The electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission has the above-mentioned control data as control data. The operation signal of the accelerator pedal 3,
Output signal of throttle opening sensor 10, vehicle speed sensor 11
, The output signal of the cooling water temperature sensor 12, the output signal of the brake pedal switch 13, and the like.

The electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission includes a signal from a shift position sensor 18 for detecting the shift position of the automatic transmission 2, a signal from a front / rear acceleration / deceleration sensor 19 for detecting the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle, A signal of a lateral acceleration sensor 20 for detecting a lateral acceleration, a brake oil pressure sensor 21 for detecting a brake oil pressure acting on a wheel cylinder of a brake device, a signal of a pattern select switch 22, a signal of a steering angle sensor of a navigation system described later, and the like. Has been entered.

This pattern select switch 22 is for switching the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 2.
For example, the normal pattern selected for normal driving,
It is now possible to select an economy pattern that is selected when driving is oriented to fuel efficiency, a power pattern that is selected when driving is oriented to power performance, and a snow pattern that sets the second speed when starting. Has become.

The selection of these shift patterns is executed, for example, by changing the shift diagram. FIG. 5 shows an example of a shift diagram when the automatic transmission 2 upshifts from the first speed to the second speed. The shift line of the economy pattern is set to a lower vehicle speed side than the shift line of the normal pattern, and the power The shift line of the pattern is set to a higher vehicle speed side than the shift line of the normal pattern. The change of this shift diagram
An electronic control unit for an automatic transmission 1
7, and may be executed by rereading each shift diagram based on the operation of the pattern select switch 22, or by storing the basic shift diagram in the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission. Alternatively, the shift diagram may be executed by correcting the shift diagram by arithmetic processing.

The electronic control unit 4 for the engine or the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission configured as described above detects the running state of the vehicle based on signals input from various sensors, and stores data on the running state and data on the running state. In addition to a function of determining the driver's driving orientation based on data on road conditions detected by a navigation system described later, the function of changing the determination method is provided.

In order to achieve the above functions, the electronic control unit 4 for the engine or the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission associates data relating to various road conditions with data relating to various driving conditions, and uses the data as a reference. A criterion in which a threshold value is set is stored in advance. The data of the various road conditions and the data of the driving state may be either a single type of data or a plurality of types of data,
Applying a judgment criterion in which a plurality of types of data are made to correspond comprehensively makes it possible to more accurately determine the driving orientation of the driver.

Then, the detected driving state data and road condition data are input to the central processing unit, where predetermined arithmetic and logical operations are performed. It is determined in real time whether emphasis is placed on fuel efficiency, fuel efficiency, or normal operation without emphasis on either power performance or fuel efficiency. To make this determination, a neural network similar to the human brain determination function is applied as a logic circuit of the central processing unit of the engine electronic control unit 4 or the automatic transmission electronic control unit 17.

When the electronic control unit 4 for the engine or the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission changes the method of determining the driving orientation according to the road condition, the criterion itself or the criterion is determined according to the road condition. Control to change the threshold value, control to change the logic circuit itself according to the road condition, control to change the multiplier of the logic circuit according to the road condition, pre-processing to subtract or add data related to the driving state according to the road condition Is performed, and then control for inputting to the logic circuit is performed.

Further, the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission
Is the driving orientation of the driver determined as described above,
It has a function to reflect the shift pattern applied to the control of the automatic transmission 2. For example, when the determination of the driving orientation with an emphasis on fuel efficiency, in other words, when the economy determination is established, control for automatically changing the shift diagram to the economy pattern is performed, and the determination of the driving orientation with an emphasis on the power performance, in other words, When the power determination is made, control for automatically changing the shift diagram to the power pattern is executed.

When the automatic transmission 2 is configured to set the first to fourth (overdrive) forward speeds, the fourth speed prohibited area is set in the shift diagram corresponding to the power pattern. Thus, it is possible to perform control to make the engine braking force more effective.

The electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission is connected to the navigation system 23 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and a part of the data relating to the road condition detected by the navigation system 23 is used for the electronic control unit for the automatic transmission. 17 or the electronic control unit 4 for the engine.

As shown in FIG. 6, the navigation system 23 includes an electronic control unit 24, a first information detection unit 25, a second information detection unit 26, a player 27, a display 28, and a speaker 29. .

The electronic control unit 24 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device (RAM, ROM), and a microcomputer mainly including an input / output interface. The player 27 is for reading information stored in an information recording medium 30 such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk.

The information recording medium 30 stores information necessary for running the vehicle, such as maps, place names, roads, major facilities around the roads,
For example, government offices, police stations, post offices, service areas, parking lots, schools, hospitals, banks, hotels, shrines, parks, golf courses, ski areas, and the like are stored. The information recording medium 30 has specific road conditions, such as straight roads, curved roads, winding roads, flat roads, uphill roads, downhill roads, grades of uphill and downhill, gravel roads, sandy beaches, riverbeds, urban areas, and mountainous areas. The ground, ordinary roads, expressways, road signs on each road, traffic lights, and the like are stored.

The first information detecting device 25 is for detecting the current position of the own vehicle, the road condition, the inter-vehicle distance to another vehicle, and the like by the self-contained navigation.
5 includes a geomagnetic sensor 3 for detecting the direction in which the vehicle travels.
1. Gyro compass 32, steering sensor 33 for detecting the steering wheel steering angle, gradient sensor 34 for detecting the gradient of the road, video camera for recognizing other vehicles running ahead of the vehicle and detecting the distance between the vehicles and other vehicles 3
5, a laser cruise device 36, a distance sensor 37, a wheel speed sensor 38 for separately detecting the rotation speed of each wheel, and the like. The first information detection device 25 and the electronic control device 24 are connected so as to be able to perform data communication, and data detected by the first information detection device 25 is transferred to the electronic control device 24.

The second information detecting device 26 detects the current position of the own vehicle, road conditions, other vehicles, obstacles, weather, and the like by radio navigation.
Includes a GPS antenna 40 for receiving radio waves from the artificial satellite 39, an amplifier 41 connected to the GPS antenna 40,
A GPS receiver 42 connected to the amplifier 41 is included.

Further, the second information detecting device 26 includes a transmitter mounted on another vehicle, a beacon or a signpost installed on a roadside, a VICS (Vehicle Information & Communication System), an SSVS.
(Super smart vehicle system), an antenna 44 for receiving radio waves from a ground information transmission system 43, an amplifier 45 connected to the antenna 44, and an amplifier 4
5 includes a ground information receiver 46 and the like.

The GPS receiver 42 and the terrestrial information receiver 46 are connected to the electronic control unit 24 so as to be able to perform data communication, and the data detected by the second information detection unit 26 is transferred to the electronic control unit 24. . In this manner, the electronic control unit 24 determines the road condition based on the data detected by the first information detection device 25 or the second detection device 26.

The display 28 is composed of a liquid crystal or a cathode ray tube (CRT).
0 based on the data stored in the first information detecting device 25 and the data detected by the second information detecting device 26, the road to be traveled to the destination, the road condition of the road to be driven, It has a function of displaying information such as the position, the presence and position of another vehicle, the presence or absence of an obstacle, and the position of the obstacle. In parallel with the operation of displaying an image on the display 28, information on the road condition is output from the speaker 29 by voice.

Various switches 47 are attached to the display 28. These switches 47
By operating, it is possible to perform control of the first information detection device 24 or the second information detection device 26, setting of a destination or a planned road, switching of a display image, correction of the current position, and the like.

In the driving direction determining apparatus of the present invention having the above-described hardware configuration, the driving direction of the driver is determined based on the driving state, and the method of determining the driving direction is changed based on the road condition. Then, control is performed to reflect the determination result to the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 2. Hereinafter, an example of control for determining the driving direction by the driving direction determination device will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

First, the driver operates the navigation system 2.
3 is operated to set the destination and the road to be traveled, and the vehicle starts running. Then, the running state of the vehicle is detected by the engine electronic control unit 4 and the automatic transmission electronic control unit 17 based on the signals of the various sensors shown in FIG. The condition of the road to be traveled is detected.

Then, it is determined by the navigation system 23 whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a highway (step 1), and if a positive determination is made in step 1, the process returns. That is, if the vehicle is traveling on a highway,
This is because the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 3 is increased irrespective of the driver's pointing, in other words, the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 is likely to be increased. Therefore, if the determination of the driving orientation is made based on the change in the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6, there is a possibility that the determination result may be different from the driver's intention.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 1, a primary determination of the driver's driving orientation is executed based on the running state of the vehicle and road conditions (step 2). In step 2, for example, when the increase amount of the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 exceeds a threshold value of a predetermined criterion, a primary decision is made that the driving performance is emphasized. The judgment is made.

Next, in the primary determination executed in step 2, the driving orientation that emphasizes the power performance is established, and
It is determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a winding road (step 3).

In step 3, the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed in order to increase the driving force in accordance with the running resistance when the vehicle turns, and as a result, the opening of the throttle valve 6 sets the threshold value of the judgment criterion. An affirmative determination is made only when the value exceeds the threshold, and a secondary determination is made that the driving orientation of the driver is in driving with emphasis on power performance (step 4), and the process is returned.

Therefore, if a shift pattern other than the power pattern is applied to the control of the automatic transmission 2 at the time when the secondary determination is established, control for automatically changing the shift pattern to the power pattern is executed. It becomes possible.

The cases other than the road condition and the driving state that are determined to be affirmative in step 3 include, for example, a case where a primary determination that emphasizes the power performance is made while traveling on a straight road, and a case where the fuel efficiency is increased while traveling on a winding road. There is a case where a primary determination that places importance on is made, and a case where a primary determination that places importance on fuel efficiency is made while traveling on a straight road.

In the above case, since the vehicle is not traveling on the winding road, a negative determination is made in step 3.

In the case of (1), the primary determination that emphasizes fuel efficiency is established despite the fact that the driving road is required to increase the driving force of the vehicle in accordance with the running resistance when the vehicle turns. Therefore, the threshold does not exceed the threshold value of the criterion applied in step 3, and a negative determination is made in step 3.

Further, in the case of (1), the primary determination with emphasis on fuel efficiency is established, although the straight road is easy to enhance the power performance by increasing the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6, The threshold value of the criterion applied in step 3 is not exceeded, and a negative determination is made in step 3.

If a negative determination is made in step 3 as described above, a secondary determination is made that the driver's intention is to focus on fuel efficiency (step 5), and the routine returns. Therefore, if a shift pattern other than the economy pattern is applied to the control of the automatic transmission 2 when the secondary determination is established, it is possible to execute control for automatically changing the shift pattern to the economy pattern. become.

Step 1 corresponds to the road condition detecting means of the present invention, and steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 correspond to the determination method changing means of the present invention. According to the control example of FIG. 1, when determining the driver's driving orientation based on the traveling state of the vehicle, the method of determining the driver's orientation is changed based on the road conditions on which the vehicle travels. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the traveling state inevitably occurring irrespective of the driver's intention based on the change in the road condition from affecting the determination of the driving orientation, and the accuracy of the driving orientation determination is improved.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of control of the driving orientation judging device having the above-described hardware configuration of FIG. 2. In this control example, when changing the driving orientation judging method, the logic applied to the central processing unit is changed. Control for changing the multiplier of the circuit or the logic circuit itself based on the road condition or control for changing the criterion itself is performed.

First, a road condition is detected by the navigation system 23, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a highway or an uphill road (step 11). If a negative determination is made in step 11, the navigation system 23 determines whether the vehicle is turning on a curved road or is traveling downhill (step 12).

If a negative determination is made in step 12, it is highly probable that the vehicle is traveling on a relatively flat straight road, and the change in the traveling state detected during traveling is due to a change in road conditions. Instead, it is determined that the change is due to a change in the driving direction based on the driver's intention, and a determination criterion for normal running stored in advance in the electronic control unit 4 for the engine and the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission, for example, The driving direction of the driver is determined based on the threshold value set in correspondence with the opening degree of the throttle valve 6 and the road condition (step 13).

If an affirmative determination is made in step 12, the accelerator pedal 3 is returned to suppress the vehicle speed and reduce the driving force, and there is a high possibility that the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 will decrease. The driving orientation of the driver is determined based on the determination criteria for low-load driving (step 1).
4). In this determination criterion for low-load running, for example, the threshold value of the electronic throttle valve 6 is set lower than that for normal running.

If an affirmative determination is made in step 11, the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed and the electronic throttle valve 6 is depressed in order to maintain a high vehicle speed or a sufficient driving force.
Since there is a high possibility that the opening of the vehicle will increase, the driving orientation of the driver is determined based on the determination criteria for high-load running (step 15). The criterion for the high-load running is, for example, compared to the criterion for the normal running.
Is set higher.

Steps 11 and 12 correspond to the road condition detecting means of the present invention, and steps 13, 14, and 15 correspond to the determination method changing means of the present invention. In step 14 in FIG. 2, detection data such as the depression amount and the depression speed of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor 13 or the brake oil pressure detected by the brake oil pressure sensor 21 and the road gradient on which the vehicle travels are determined. Based on the data, it is also possible to make a determination of driving orientation by changing to a determination criterion for low-load traveling.

As described above, according to the control example shown in FIG. 2, when determining the driving orientation of the driver based on the running state of the vehicle, the method of determining the driving orientation is changed in accordance with changes in the road conditions. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the running state, which is generated irrespective of the driver's intention based on the change in the road condition, from affecting the determination of the driving orientation, and the accuracy of the driving orientation determination is improved.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another example of control of the driving orientation determining apparatus having the above-described hardware configuration. In this example of control, data relating to the traveling state is added or subtracted on the basis of road conditions at the stage of arithmetic operation. , The corrected value is input to the logic circuit, and the driving orientation is determined.

First, the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 is detected by the engine electronic control unit 4, and it is determined by the navigation system 23 whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a highway (step 31). Step 3
If the determination in step 1 is affirmative, the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed according to the flow of the vehicle traveling around the host vehicle, the speed limit, and the like, so that the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 increases regardless of the driver's intention. Likely to be.

For this reason, the driving force when traveling at a constant speed at the current vehicle speed, in other words, the load corresponding to the traveling resistance is converted into the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 and is actually detected based on the converted value. Control for subtracting and correcting the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 is performed, and the subtracted and corrected value is compared with a criterion to determine the driving orientation of the driver (step 32).

By executing the control in step 32, the electronic throttle valve 6 is controlled while the vehicle is traveling on the highway.
Even if the degree of opening of the vehicle necessarily increases, it is possible to prevent the driver's intention from being erroneously determined to emphasize power performance.

After step 32 has been executed, or when a negative determination is made in step 31, the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 is detected by the engine electronic control unit 4, and the vehicle is moved uphill by the navigation system 23. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling (step 3
3).

If an affirmative determination is made in step 33, the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed to secure a sufficient driving force corresponding to the climb resistance, and the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 may inevitably increase. Is high. Therefore, based on the road gradient at the current position detected by the navigation system 23, control is performed to subtract and correct the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 detected by the engine electronic control unit 4, and the subtraction correction is performed. The value and the criterion are compared to determine the driving orientation of the driver (step 3).
4).

By executing the control in step 34, even if the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 is inevitably increased while the vehicle is traveling on an uphill road, the driver's intention places importance on the power performance. Erroneously determined to be the same.

After the execution of step 34 or in the case of a negative determination in step 33, the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 is detected by the electronic control unit 4 for the engine, and the vehicle is moved downhill by the navigation system 23. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling (step 3
5).

If an affirmative determination is made in step 35, it is highly possible that the accelerator pedal 3 is returned to suppress the vehicle speed, and the opening of the electronic throttle valve 6 is necessarily reduced. For this reason, based on the road gradient at the current position detected by the navigation system 23, the electronic throttle valve 6 detected by the engine electronic control unit 4
A control is performed to add and correct the degree of opening of the driver, and the value of the added and corrected value is compared with a criterion to determine the driver's driving orientation (step 36).

By executing the control in step 36, even if the opening degree of the electronic throttle valve 6 is inevitably reduced while the vehicle is traveling on a downhill, the driver's intention is to decelerate. Erroneous determination can be prevented.
After step 36 is executed, or after step 3
If a negative determination is made in step 5, the process returns.

Steps 31, 33 and 35 correspond to the road condition detecting means of the present invention.
Reference numeral 6 corresponds to the determination method changing means of the present invention. When an affirmative determination is made in step 35 of FIG. 3, the stepping speed and the stepping amount of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor 13 or the brake oil pressure detected by the brake oil pressure sensor 21 and the road gradient are used. It is also possible to perform control to determine the driving direction by subtracting the value corresponding to the road gradient from the detected brake pedal depression amount, stepping speed, or brake oil pressure, and comparing the subtracted value with a determination reference. It is.

As described above, according to the control example of FIG. 3, when determining the driver's driving orientation based on the driving state of the vehicle, the detection data of the driving state is subtracted or added according to the change in the road condition. The driving orientation is determined by comparing the value with a predetermined criterion. Therefore,
It is possible to suppress a change in the traveling state inevitably caused by a change in the road condition irrespective of the driver's intention from affecting the determination of the driving orientation, thereby improving the accuracy of the driving orientation determination.

In the control examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the control for changing the determination of the driving orientation is performed according to the condition of the road itself, but the own vehicle follows the other vehicle. The method of determining driving orientation is changed even when the driving state changes irrespective of the driver's intention, based on the relative position relationship with other vehicles, such as when driving on a congested road Can be executed.

The data representing the running state of the vehicle includes the data shown in the control examples of FIGS.
It is also possible to use acceleration / deceleration, vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, shift position of the automatic transmission 2, engine speed, and the like.

Further, when the electronic control unit 4 for the engine or the electronic control unit 17 such as an automatic transmission determines whether driving orientation is important for driving power performance or driving orientation is important for fuel economy performance, it is determined according to road conditions. The same effect can be obtained by changing the threshold value of the criterion applied to the above, or by changing the operation coefficient used in the neural network control logic circuit. It is also possible to apply fuzzy control to the logic circuit of the electronic control unit 4 for the engine or the electronic control unit 17 for the automatic transmission.

If the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 2 is automatically changed on the basis of the driving orientation determined as described above, the change in the running state inevitably caused by the change in the road condition is automatically changed. The shift control of the automatic transmission 2 is not reflected in the shift control of the automatic transmission 2, and only the change in the traveling state based on the driver's intention is reflected in the shift control of the automatic transmission 2. As a result, the driving force of the vehicle is easily maintained in a state that matches the driver's intention, and drivability is improved.

The result of the determination of the driving orientation performed by the control examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is reflected in the control of the systems other than the automatic transmission 2, for example, the electronic throttle valve 6, the fuel injection device 14, and the igniter 15. It is also possible to make it.

The present invention can be applied to a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission having a known continuously variable transmission mechanism.
The present invention is also applicable to an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor instead of an engine, or a hybrid vehicle equipped with an electric motor and an engine.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, in determining the driving orientation of the driver based on the driving state of the vehicle, the method of determining the driving orientation based on the road conditions on which the vehicle travels is changed. . Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the traveling state inevitably occurring on the basis of a change in the road condition regardless of the driver's intention from affecting the determination of the driving orientation, thereby improving the accuracy of the driving orientation determination.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a shift diagram illustrating an example of a shift pattern applied to control of the automatic transmission illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the navigation system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 engine 2 automatic transmission 4 electronic control device for engine 16 hydraulic control circuit 17 electronic control device for automatic transmission 23 navigation system

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A driving direction determination device for detecting a driving state of a vehicle and determining a driving direction of the vehicle based on the detected driving state, wherein a road condition detection for detecting a road condition in which the vehicle runs. And a determination method changing means for changing the driving direction determination method based on the detected road condition.