JPH10329575A - Automatic running vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To relax the tension feeling of a driver during switching of a mode by a method wherein when it is decided that a drive operation state corresponds to a reference operation state, switching from an automatic running mode to a manual running mode is effected. SOLUTION: While running control in an automatic running mode is effected, a control unit (ECU) always decides whether operation of an emergency change- over switch is performed and whether a given operation pattern for mode switching is effected as a relation between an operation amount (a steering angle) of steering operation and operation frequency (a frequency) is always monitored. When, with this state, a driver takes an attitude to operate drive and performs switching operation of a mode (a given operation pattern indicated at (a)), the control unit (ECU) recognizes that switching of a mode is effected, and starts transfer processing from an automatic running mode to a manual running mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, and more particularly, to an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, in which the vehicle traveling control is performed based on the recognition result of the traveling state of the vehicle and the situation of the outside of the vehicle. The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle control device configured to switch to a traveling state in manual driving by operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a running state of a vehicle (vehicle speed, posture, etc.).
And the external environment of the vehicle (running lane conditions, distance between vehicles, etc.)
Is recognized based on detection information from various sensors or information provided from an infrastructure installed on a road, and the running control (steering control, drive control, braking control, and the like) of the vehicle is performed based on the recognition result. Various automatic traveling vehicles have been proposed. In such an automatic traveling vehicle, the traveling state is not always the state of the automatic driving but the manual driving by the driver's operation (steering operation, accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, etc.) according to the driver's request. It is necessary to return to.

As described above, for example, a vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-46111 has been proposed as an automatic traveling vehicle capable of returning to a traveling state in manual driving. In this automatic traveling vehicle, when a predetermined changeover switch is operated during traveling in the automatic traveling mode in which traveling control is performed based on the recognition result of the traveling state of the vehicle and the situation of the outside of the vehicle, the automatic traveling mode Is switched to the manual driving mode by the operation of the driver.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle, the driver's intention to switch to the manual traveling mode can be confirmed by operating the changeover switch, so that the driver unexpectedly switches from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode. It will not be switched.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the driver must operate the changeover switch to switch to the manual driving mode, so that the driver operates the changeover switch. Later, he will take a posture for driving operation. Therefore, the driver is required to take a posture for the driving operation as soon as possible after the operation of the changeover switch, and depending on the driving environment of the vehicle and the driving proficiency of the driver, the driver may be extraly required. It can give a sense of tension.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic traveling vehicle control device capable of switching from an automatic traveling mode to a manual traveling mode without giving the driver extra tension as much as possible.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a vehicle running control is performed based on a recognition result of a running state of a vehicle and a situation of a vehicle outside. In an automatic driving vehicle control device that switches between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by the driving operation of the driver, when the vehicle driving control in the automatic driving mode is performed, the driving by the driver is performed. Operation state detection means for detecting an operation state; operation state determination means for determining whether the state of the driving operation detected by the operation state detection means corresponds to a predetermined reference operation state; A mode switching unit configured to switch from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode when the state determining unit determines that the detected driving operation state corresponds to the reference operation state. Configured.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, when the driver performs a driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state while the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is being performed, the operation state determining means operates. It is determined that the state of the driving operation detected by the detection means corresponds to the reference operation state. Switching from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode is performed based on this determination result.

At the time of switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode as described above, while the driving control in the automatic driving mode is still being performed, the driver takes a posture of the driving operation in advance, and at an appropriate timing. The driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state is performed. Therefore, when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the driver does not need to change the posture in particular, and the vehicle in the manual driving mode remains in the posture at the time of performing the driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state. It can respond to running.

From the viewpoint of preventing the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by an accidental operation, it is preferable that the setting be made based on a driving operation state that must be performed particularly consciously. The state of the driving operation to be detected by the operation state detecting means is any operation state related to vehicle operation such as a steering operation state, an accelerator pedal operation state, a brake pedal operation state, a gear shift operation state, and the like. May also be an arbitrary combination thereof.

Further, from the viewpoint that it is easy to distinguish between a driving operation according to the driver's intention and a disturbance, the present invention provides:
As described in claim 2, the operation state detecting means may be configured to include means for detecting information based on the driving operation amount and the operation frequency as information representing the state of the driving operation. In such a device, since the state of the driving operation is determined based on both the driving operation amount and the operation frequency, the possibility that the disturbance coincides with the driving operation according to the driver's intention is extremely high. Lower.

Further, from the viewpoint that the state of the driving operation is easily represented by information based on the driving operation amount and the operation frequency, the present invention provides a driving operation to be detected. As an operation relating to vehicle steering. In this case, the driving operation amount is the steering angle of the vehicle steering (steering operation amplitude), and the operation frequency corresponds to the number of times the steering operation is performed per unit time.

From the viewpoint that the driving state in the automatic driving mode can be smoothly taken over by the driving operation in the manual driving mode as it is after the driver performs the operation corresponding to the reference operation state, the present invention provides As set forth in claim 4, in each of the automatic traveling vehicle control devices, the mode switching means gradually reduces the contribution ratio of the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode to the vehicle traveling and sets the manual traveling mode. And a mode transition control means for gradually increasing the rate at which the driver's driving operation contributes to the vehicle traveling by the vehicle and transitioning from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, when the driver performs a driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state, the contribution ratio of the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode to the vehicle traveling gradually decreases, while The rate at which the driver's driving operation in the manual driving mode contributes to vehicle running gradually increases. In the process, the driver can realize the switching to the manual driving mode by a slight response operation of the vehicle to the driving operation while the driving operation is continuously performed. Thus, the driver can feel the switching to the manual driving mode. The driver can feel the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode during the driving operation, so that the driving state in the automatic driving mode can be smoothly taken over by the driving operation of the driver.

[0015] Further, during the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the driving operation is completely given to the driver only when the driver can maintain stable driving in the manual driving mode. In terms of being able to leave it,
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the mode shift control means shifts from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, it is determined whether or not the driving operation state of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state. And a mode switching prohibiting means for prohibiting the shift to the manual driving mode when the determining means determines that the driving operation state of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state. can do.

[0016] In such an automatic traveling vehicle control device, when shifting from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode,
When the driving operation performed by the driver is out of the predetermined reference state, the shift to the manual traveling mode is prohibited. As a result, the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is continuously performed. When the expected driving operation state (predetermined reference state) is not obtained when shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode in this manner, the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from continuing running in a state where the driving operation of the driver is unstable.

[0017]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic traveling vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a control unit (ECU) 1
In 0, information from the external recognition device 11 and information from the vehicle state recognition device 12 are provided. The external situation detection device 11 is a device that detects a traveling environment of the vehicle (a degree of congestion of a road, an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle, a state of a traveling road, and the like).
Includes devices that collect information from cameras, radar, and infrastructure. The vehicle state detection device 12 is a device that detects a traveling state (vehicle speed, yaw angular velocity, acceleration / deceleration, etc.) of the vehicle,
It includes a G sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and the like.

The control unit (ECU) 10 recognizes the running state of the vehicle and the state of the outside of the vehicle based on information from the vehicle state detecting device 12 and the external state detecting device 11 in the automatic driving mode, and outputs the recognition result. The operation actuator 13 is controlled to perform the traveling control of the vehicle based on the operation. The operation actuator 13 includes a steering actuator for adjusting the driving of the steering gear and the steering torque, a brake actuator for adjusting the brake pressure, an accelerator actuator for adjusting the throttle opening, and the like.

Each of the adjustment amounts generated by the operation actuator 13 is transmitted to a portion to be adjusted 30 (a steering gear, a brake cylinder, a throttle valve, etc.) via a gain control device 20. Further, the operation (operation amount, operation force) of each operation portion 25 (the steering wheel, the brake pedal, the accelerator pedal, etc.) operated by the driver is also transmitted to the adjustment target portion 30 via the gain control device 20.

The gain control device 20 is provided for the driver.
Operation of each operation part 25 (steering angle MA _M, Steering torque MT
_M, Throttle opening θ_M, Brake pedal force F_MEtc.)
Adjustment of the sensor group to be operated and the operation actuator 13
Quantity (steering angle MA_C, Steering torque MT_C, Throttle opening
θ_C, Brake pedal force F_CEtc.) are provided.
I have. And, from the control unit (ECU) 10
On the basis of the command, the operating actuator 13
Ratio (gain) of each adjustment amount transmitted to the position 30 and the driver
Transmitted from each operation part 25 to the adjusted part 30
The ratio (gain) of (operation amount, operation force) is controlled. this
The gain control device 20 is operated by the operation actuator 13
Of the amount of each adjustment transmitted from the
) Is gradually reduced, and at the same time
(Operation amount, operation) transmitted from the
By gradually increasing the ratio (gain) of force)
The transition from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode is performed.
You.

The control unit (ECU) 10 further includes:
The alarm device 14 and the emergency changeover switch 15 are connected. The alarm device 14 is constituted by a buzzer and a display device. For example, when shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, when the driving operation state of the driver is out of the expected state, the control unit (ECU) 10 outputs an alarm sound, an alarm message, and the like based on a command from the ECU 10. The emergency changeover switch 15 is a switch for forcibly switching to the manual traveling mode when the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is performed.

The control unit 10 shifts from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode according to the procedure shown in FIG. 2, the control unit (ECU) 10 is, in the automatic traveling mode M _a control operation actuator 13 based on information from the external condition detection devices 11 and the vehicle state detection device 12 (steering control, the accelerator control, brake control Etc.) (vehicle traveling control). At this time, the gain control device 20 includes a control unit (ECU)
Based on the travel command of the automatic traveling mode M _a from 10, operating the adjustment amount from the actuator 13 is transmitted all corresponding to the adjustment parts 30, each adjustment operation of the operating portion 25 of the driver corresponds Gain control is performed so that it is not transmitted to the part at all. This gain control device 2
The gain control at 0 is specifically performed as follows.

The gain control device 20 includes an operation amount (a steering angle MA _S , a throttle opening θ _S ) and an operation force (a steering torque MT _S ) to be applied to a portion to be adjusted 30 (a steering gear, a brake cylinder, a throttle valve, etc.). , The brake pedal force F _S ) as described above, and the respective adjustment amounts (steering angle MA _C , steering torque MT _C , throttle opening θ _C , brake pedal force F _C ) by the operation actuator 13 and the driver Operation of the operation part 25 (steering angle MA
_{M S} = a ₁ · _{M M} + b ₁ · _M AC (1) MT _S = a ₂ · _{M T} + b ₂ · based on _M , steering torque _M T, throttle opening θ _M , brake depression force F _M, etc. MT _C (2) θ _S = a ₃ · θ _M + b ₃ · θ _C (3) F _S = a ₄ · F _M + b ₄ · F _C (4) Then, the gain control device 20 controls each adjustment amount (steering angle MA _C , steering torque MT _C , throttle opening θ _C ,
The ratio (gain) b _{1 to} b _{4 of the} brake pedal force F _C ) to be applied to the adjusted portion 30 and the operation of each operating portion 25 by the driver (steering angle MA _M , steering torque MT _M , throttle opening θ _M , ratio to be applied to the adjustment parts 30 of the brake pressing force F _M, etc.) (gain) a ₁ to control the a ₄ (e.g.,
The steering angle is shown in FIGS. 3 (a), 3 (b) and 3 (c).

[0024] In the automatic traveling mode M _a as described above, the adjustment parts of the adjustment amount by the controlled actuator 13 30
To be applied to the motor (hereinafter referred to as automatic adjustment gain) b ₁
To b ₄ are “1” (100%), and the ratios (hereinafter referred to as manual operation gains) a _{1 to} a ₄ to be applied to the adjusted portion 30 of the operation of each operation portion 25 are “0” (0%). Are controlled respectively.

[0025] During the running control in automatic cruise mode M _a as described above have been made, the control unit (ECU) 10
Indicates whether the emergency changeover switch 15 has been operated (S1), a driving operation according to a predetermined operation pattern for mode switching (in this case, a steering operation).
(S2) is always determined. In this state, when the driver takes a driving operation posture and performs a steering operation (mode switching operation) according to a predetermined operation pattern as shown in FIG.
U) 10 recognizes that the mode switching operation was performed (S2, Y), starts the transition process to the manual driving mode M _m from the automatic traveling mode M _a.

The determination as to whether or not the driving operation (steering operation) according to the predetermined operation pattern has been performed (the processing in S2) is performed, for example, as follows. The control unit (ECU) 10 constantly monitors the relationship (frequency characteristic: frequency-amplitude characteristic) between the amount of steering operation (steering angle (operation amplitude)) and the operation frequency (frequency). Then, the frequency characteristic Q _{A of} the steering operation (mode switching operation) according to a predetermined operation pattern as shown in FIG.
When a steering operation is performed with a frequency characteristic that matches a predetermined reference characteristic S that includes the following, it is determined that the steering operation has been performed according to a predetermined operation pattern. Thus, for example, a steering operation of the frequency characteristic Q _B and Q _C of Figure 4 is considered a disturbance.

The control unit (ECU) 10, which has determined that the mode switching operation has been performed as described above and has started the process of shifting from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode at time t1 shown in FIG. 3, for example, It is determined whether or not the operation state of each operation portion 25 by the driver has deviated from the reference state (S3), and a command to increase the manual operation gain a is issued to the gain control device 20 (S4).

[0028] The manually operated gain control device 20 which gain has received the command to increase increases the above manual operation gains a ₁ to a ₄ by a predetermined amount, at the same time, the automatic adjustment gain b ₁ to b ₄ corresponding The amount is reduced by a predetermined amount (see the above equations (1) to (4)). Then, the control unit (ECU) 10 determines whether or not each of the manual operation gains a _{1 to} a ₄ has reached “1” (100%) (S5). Thereafter, until the manual operation gains a ₁ to a ₄ reaches "1" (100%), the above processing (S3 through S5) is repeatedly executed.

By the above processing, the respective manual operation gains a _{1 to} a ₄ are gradually increased from the time point t 1 at which the switching from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode is started, as shown in FIG. At time t3, it reaches "1" (100%). On the other hand, between the times t1 and t3, each of the automatic adjustment gains b _{1 to} b ₄ is gradually reduced and finally becomes “0” (0%). Each manual operation gains a ₁ to a4
Becomes “1” (100%) and the respective automatic adjustment gains b _{1 to} b ₄ become “0” (0%).
The control unit (ECU) 10 recognizes that it has been fully migrated to the manual traveling mode M _m from the automatic traveling mode M _a. Thereafter, the operation of each operation portion 25 by the driver is performed via the gain control device 20 to the corresponding adjusted portion 30.
At a gain of 100%. That is, the vehicle travels in accordance with the operation of each operation unit 25 by the driver.

After performing the mode switching operation as described above, the driver continues the same operation in the same posture. At that time, since the manual operation gain gradually increases as described above, the vehicle performs a slight response operation (turning, acceleration / deceleration, etc.) to the driver's driving operation. By a slight response operation of the vehicle to the driving operation, the driver feels the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Then, the driver further continues the driving operation (steering operation, accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, etc.) in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle in preparation for a complete transition to the manual driving mode.

As described above, the automatic driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode.
Each operation part 2 of the driver performed when shifting to the line mode
5 is, for example, as shown by a broken line in FIG.
It is determined that it is out of the operation range ΔA representing the predetermined reference state.
Then, at time t2, the control unit (ECU) 10
Activates the alarm device 14 (S6) and sets the manual traveling mode M
_mProhibit migration to. As a result, the alarm device 14
Alarms and warning messages are output, and each manual operation gain a
₁Or a_FourIs returned to "0" (0%) (FIG. 3 (c)
) And each automatic adjustment gain b₁Or b_FourBut
It is returned to "1" (100%). Therefore, the manual traveling mode
M_mAutomatic driving mode M without shifting to_aAt
Travel control is continued.

By such processing, the complete shift to the manual driving mode is performed only when the driver performs the expected driving operation (reference state). For this reason, when the driver mistakenly performs the mode switching operation by the steering or when the driver is not ready to perform the manual driving after performing the mode switching operation by the steering, the switching to the manual driving mode is prohibited. You.

The operation range ΔA representing the reference state
(The range between the dashed lines in FIG. 3A) is set to a predetermined range including the control target value in the automatic traveling mode. In particular, the operation range ΔA representing the reference state for the operation part (the steering in this case) where the mode switching operation is to be performed is set such that, immediately after the shift to the manual driving mode, the manual driving is performed with a relatively large operation amount following the mode switching operation. A relatively wide range is set so that the transition to the mode is not prohibited (see the range between the dashed lines immediately after time t1 in FIG. 3A).

In the above example, the mode switching operation is performed by the steering. However, it is also possible to perform the mode switching operation by other operation parts, for example, the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal. In this case, an operation pattern and a criterion for the mode switching operation are set according to the operation part. Further, in the above example, the processing in step S2 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the operation state detection means and the operation state determination means, and the processing in steps S4 and S5 and the gain control device 20 perform mode switching means, especially mode transition control. Corresponding to the means. Further, the processing in step S3 corresponds to a determination means for determining whether or not the driving operation state of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state, and the processing path returning from step S3 to the automatic driving mode Ma is a mode switching inhibiting means. Corresponding to

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the driver takes a driving operation posture beforehand and sets an appropriate timing. Then, a driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state is performed. Therefore, the driver
When switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, there is no need to change the posture, and it is possible to cope with the traveling of the vehicle in the manual driving mode while maintaining the posture when performing the driving operation corresponding to the reference operation state. it can. As a result, it is possible to switch from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode without giving the driver extra tension due to the necessity of performing an operation other than the driving operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of an automatic traveling vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process for shifting from an automatic traveling mode to a manual traveling mode.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing transitions of an automatic traveling mode, a transition period from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, a manual operation amount in the manual traveling mode, an operation amount actually acting on a portion to be adjusted, and an operation gain.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a criterion for determining a mode switching operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Control unit (ECU) 11 External situation detecting device 12 Vehicle running state detecting device 13 Operation actuator 14 Alarm device 15 Emergency changeover switch 20 Gain control device 25 Operating part 30 Adjusted part

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI // G08G 1/16 G08G 1/16 C B62D 13:00

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An automatic traveling mode that switches between an automatic traveling mode in which vehicle traveling control is performed based on a recognition result of a traveling state of a vehicle and a situation of the outside of the vehicle, and a manual traveling mode in which the vehicle travels by driving operation of a driver. In the vehicle control device, when the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is being performed, an operation state detecting unit that detects a state of the driving operation by the driver, and a driving operation detected by the operation state detecting unit. Operation state determining means for determining whether the state corresponds to a predetermined reference operation state; and automatic driving when the operation state determination means determines that the detected driving operation state corresponds to the reference operation state. An automatic traveling vehicle control device having mode switching means for switching from a mode to a manual traveling mode. 2. An automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein said operation state detecting means includes means for detecting information based on a driving operation amount and an operation frequency as information representing a driving operation state. Traveling vehicle control device. 3. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the driving operation to be detected includes an operation related to vehicle steering. 4. The automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mode switching means gradually reduces a contribution ratio of the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode to the vehicle traveling and performs manual traveling. An automatic traveling vehicle control device including mode transition control means for gradually increasing a rate at which a driver's driving operation in a mode contributes to vehicle traveling to transition from an automatic traveling mode to a manual traveling mode. 5. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein when the mode transition control means transitions from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, the driving operation state of the driver deviates from a predetermined reference state. Determining means for determining whether or not the driving operation state of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state, and mode switching prohibiting means for prohibiting a shift to the manual driving mode. Automatic driving vehicle control device.