CN110803168B

CN110803168B - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN110803168B
Application number: CN201910488902.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 本田繁弘; 高田雄太
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-03
Filing date: 2019-06-05
Publication date: 2022-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-05
Also published as: JP2020019455A; CN110803168A; JP6744367B2

Abstract

Provided are a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium, which can appropriately control the timing of release of a follow-up travel control function. A vehicle control device is provided with: a periphery recognition unit that recognizes a periphery environment of the vehicle; a driving control unit that performs acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle based on the output information of the periphery recognition unit; and an acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of a friction material of a brake device controlled by the driving control unit, wherein the driving control unit restricts the follow-up running control when the temperature acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined reference, and the predetermined reference is changed based on a gradient of a running path of the vehicle acquired by the periphery recognition unit.

Description

Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Technical Field

The invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium.

Background

In recent years, studies have been made on driving support functions such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System) and LKAS (Lane keep Assistance System).

The following techniques are disclosed: when the driving assistance function involving acceleration and deceleration among these driving assistance functions is used, in a situation where the vehicle is traveling on a road surface with a steep downward gradient, if the temperature of the friction material that is predicted to reach the brake failure state when the driving assistance control is continued is exceeded, the control characteristic is changed so that the change in acceleration is small (for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2005-28896). Further, the following techniques are disclosed: when an abnormal state such as an overheated state of the brake pad occurs and the abnormal state continues for a predetermined time or longer and is not eliminated, the passenger can predict the execution stop timing of the follow-up control function by reporting the stop of the execution of the follow-up control to the passenger (for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-69420).

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when the timing of the cancellation of the driving support function is too early, the passenger may feel uncomfortable.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can appropriately control timing for releasing the follow-up running control function.

Means for solving the problems

The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the storage medium according to the present invention have the following configurations.

(1): a vehicle control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a periphery recognition unit that recognizes a periphery environment of the vehicle; a driving control unit that performs acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle, based on the output information of the periphery recognition unit; and an acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of a friction material of a brake device controlled by the driving control unit, wherein the driving control unit has a function of limiting the follow-up running control when the temperature acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined reference, and the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference based on the gradient of the running path of the vehicle acquired by the periphery recognition unit.

(2): in the aspect of the above (1), when the gradient is an upward gradient, the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to the follow-up running control side with difficulty in limiting the predetermined reference as compared to when the gradient is flat, and when the gradient is a downward gradient, the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to the follow-up running control side with ease in limiting the predetermined reference to a lower level as compared to when the gradient is flat.

(3): in the aspect (2) described above, the degree of detour of the travel path is acquired in addition to the gradient, and the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to a lower level when the degree of detour is high.

(4): in the aspect (2) or (3) described above, the driving control unit may change the predetermined reference in accordance with the number of object targets around the vehicle recognized by the surrounding recognition unit in addition to the gradient.

(5): in any one of the above (2) to (4), when the predetermined reference is changed based on the gradient in the case of traveling in a first autonomous state, which is an autonomous state in which the degree of participation of the driver of the vehicle in the driving steering is low, compared to the case of traveling in a second autonomous state, which is an autonomous state in which the degree of participation of the driver in the driving steering is low compared to the first autonomous state, the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to be higher.

(6): a vehicle control method according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute: identifying a surrounding environment of the vehicle; performing acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle; acquiring the temperature of a friction piece of a braking device; limiting the follow-up running control when the acquired temperature satisfies a predetermined reference; and changing the predetermined reference based on the gradient of the traveling path of the vehicle.

(7): a storage medium according to an aspect of the present invention stores a program that causes a computer to execute: identifying a surrounding environment of the vehicle; performing acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle; acquiring the temperature of a friction piece of a braking device; limiting the follow-up running control when the acquired temperature satisfies a predetermined reference; and changing the predetermined reference based on the gradient of the traveling path of the vehicle.

Effects of the invention

According to (1) to (7), the timing of the cancellation of the driving support function can be appropriately controlled.

According to (2) to (3), the timing of cancellation of the driving assistance function can be further appropriately controlled based on the gradient of the traveling path. This is because, when the gradient of the traveling road is a downhill, the possibility of the driving assistance function being cancelled is higher than when the gradient of the traveling road is flat.

According to (4), the timing of canceling the driving assistance function can be further appropriately controlled based on the degree of meandering of the running path. This is because, when the degree of detour of the traveling path is high, the possibility of cancellation of the driving support function is higher than when the degree of detour of the traveling path is low.

According to (5), the timing of canceling the driving assistance function can be further appropriately controlled according to the number of the object targets around the vehicle recognized by the periphery recognizing unit. This is because the greater the number of object targets, the higher the possibility that the driving support function is cancelled.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a correction rule in consideration of the ascending/descending state of the traveling road recognized by the periphery recognition unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the threshold value T corresponding to the state of an ascending/descending slope by the follow-up running control unit _ul The correction method of (1).

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the threshold value T in consideration of a curve by the follow-up running control unit _ul A figure of the correction rule of (1).

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the threshold value T in consideration of the object target by the follow-up running control unit _ul A diagram of the correction rule of (1).

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the object identified by the periphery identifying unit.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an object recognized by the periphery recognition unit.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the first control unit.

Fig. 10 is a structural diagram of a vehicle system of the second embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a relationship between the automatic driving level and the threshold value of the friction material.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the automatic driving level management unit and the follow-up running control unit.

Fig. 13 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system of the third embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the ACC control unit.

Fig. 15 is a structural diagram of a vehicle system of the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the automatic driving control apparatus and the driving support control apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of various control devices according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

< first embodiment >

[ integral Structure ]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a two-wheel, three-wheel, four-wheel or the like vehicle, and the drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using generated power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine or discharge power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a probe 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving operation Unit 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These apparatuses and devices are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication Network, and the like. The configuration shown in fig. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added.

The camera 10 is a digital camera using a solid-state imaging Device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When photographing the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the interior mirror, or the like. The camera 10 repeatedly shoots the periphery of the host vehicle M periodically, for example. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the host vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The detector 14 is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The detector 14 irradiates the periphery of the host vehicle M with light, and measures scattered light. The detector 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The light to be irradiated is, for example, pulsed laser light. The probe 14 is attached to an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs a sensor fusion process on the detection results detected by some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the probe 14, and recognizes the position, the type, the speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the detector 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The Communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle present in the vicinity of the host vehicle M or with various server devices via a wireless base station, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or the like.

The HMI30 presents various information to the passenger of the host vehicle M and accepts an input operation by the passenger. The HMI30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

The vehicle sensors 40 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity about a vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the orientation of the own vehicle M, and the like.

The Navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a Navigation HMI52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the own vehicle M based on the signals received from the GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. A part or all of the navigation HMI52 may also be shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter, referred to as an on-map route) from the position of the host vehicle M (or an arbitrary input position) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the passenger using the navigation HMI52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is information representing a road shape by, for example, a line representing a road and nodes connected by the line. The first map information 54 may also include the gradient Of the road (gradient information that is associated with the direction Of the line), the curvature Of the road, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The on-map route is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 refers to the gradient information of the first map information 54 to previously associate an ascending or descending slope with each divided section on the route on the map. The processing of associating the gradient with the divided sections of the route may be performed by the MPU60 using the second map information 62. The navigation device 50 may also perform route guidance using the navigation HMI52 based on the on-map route. The navigation device 50 may be realized by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determining unit 61, and holds second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determining unit 61 divides the on-map route provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of segments (for example, divided every 100[ m ] in the vehicle traveling direction), and determines the recommended lane for each segment with reference to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines to travel in the second lane counted from the left.

The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to the branch destination when there is a branch point on the route on the map.

The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of a lane, information on the boundary of a lane, and the like. The second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address/zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 can be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices.

The driving operation members 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a joystick, and other operation members. A sensor for detecting the operation amount or the presence or absence of operation is attached to the driving operation element 80, and the detection result is output to some or all of the automatic driving control device 100, the running driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120, a second control unit 150, and a storage unit 125. The first control Unit 120 and the second control Unit 150 are each realized by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including Circuit units) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and attached to the HDD or the flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100 by being attached to the drive device via the storage medium.

The storage unit 125 stores the threshold information 126 to be referred to by the follow-up running control unit 142. The storage unit 125 is implemented by, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive), a flash Memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like.

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 150. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a periphery recognition unit 130, a vehicle state recognition unit 135, and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120 realizes, for example, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) function and a model function in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" can be realized by executing recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognition based on a condition (signal, road sign, or the like that enables pattern matching) given in advance in parallel, and scoring both sides to comprehensively evaluate them. Thereby, the reliability of automatic driving is ensured.

The periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes the states of the position, speed, acceleration, and the like of the object existing in the periphery of the host vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the probe 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on absolute coordinates with the origin at the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the host vehicle M, for example, and used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity and a corner of the object, or may be represented by a region represented by the representative point. The "state" of the object may include acceleration, jerk, or "behavior" of the object (e.g., whether a lane change is being made or whether a lane change is to be made).

The periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (traveling lane) in which the host vehicle M is traveling. For example, the periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes the traveling lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines (e.g., the arrangement of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with the pattern of road dividing lines around the host vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. The periphery recognition unit 130 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing a driving road boundary (road boundary) including a road dividing line, a shoulder, a curb, a center barrier, a guardrail, and the like, without being limited to the road dividing line. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added. The periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes a stop line, an obstacle, a red light, a toll booth, and other road items.

The periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane when recognizing the travel lane. The periphery recognition unit 130 may recognize, for example, a deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and an angle formed by the traveling direction of the host vehicle M with respect to a line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. Instead, the periphery recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to either end (road partition line or road boundary) of the travel lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane.

The vehicle state recognition unit 135 includes, for example, a temperature acquisition unit 136. The temperature acquisition unit 136 acquires the temperature of a friction material (e.g., a brake pad or a brake lining) used in the brake device 210 of the host vehicle M. The temperature acquisition unit 136 may use the detection results input from the respective temperature sensors or a combination of a plurality of detection results as the temperatures of the friction materials when the temperature sensors are attached to the installation locations of the friction materials in the front wheels and the installation locations of the friction materials in the rear wheels or to the peripheral members thereof, or may estimate the temperatures based on the degree of cooling obtained from the vehicle speed of the host vehicle M detected by the vehicle sensor 40 or the like. The temperature acquisition unit 136 may estimate the temperature of the friction material based on the detection result of the temperature sensor and the speed of the host vehicle M. The temperature acquisition unit 136 outputs the estimated temperature to a follow-up running control unit 142, which will be described later.

The temperature acquisition unit 136 is an example of an "acquisition unit".

The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory on which the host vehicle M will automatically travel in the future (without depending on the operation of the driver), so that the host vehicle M can travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determining unit 61 in principle, and can cope with the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M. The target track contains, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target track represents a track in which points (track points) to be reached by the vehicle M are sequentially arranged. The trajectory point is a point to which the host vehicle M should arrive at every predetermined travel distance (for example, several [ M ]) in terms of a distance along the way, and a target speed and a target acceleration at every predetermined sampling time (for example, several zero-point [ sec ]) are generated as a part of the target trajectory. The track point may be a position to which the vehicle M should arrive at a predetermined sampling time at the sampling time. In this case, the information on the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval between the track points.

The action plan generating unit 140 may set an event of the autonomous driving when the target trajectory is generated. Examples of the event of the automatic driving include a constant speed driving event, a follow-up driving event (follow-up driving control described below) including a low speed follow-up driving event, a lane change event, a branch event, a merge event, and a take-over event. The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the activated event. The action plan generating unit 140 and the second control unit 150 are combined to exemplify a "driving control unit".

The action plan generating unit 140 includes, for example, a follow-up running control unit 142 that performs follow-up running control. The follow-up running Control corresponds to, for example, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System) or CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control 1). The follow-up running control is a control for running a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a preceding vehicle) running in the same direction as the host vehicle M in front of the host vehicle M while automatically keeping a constant inter-vehicle distance. When the inter-vehicle distance D from the preceding vehicle is sufficiently larger than the target inter-vehicle distance D (or the preceding vehicle is not recognized), the follow-up running control unit 142 performs constant speed running control so that the vehicle runs at a set speed (upper limit speed). When the inter-vehicle distance D from the preceding vehicle is not sufficiently larger than the target inter-vehicle distance D (or the preceding vehicle is not recognized), the follow-up running control unit 142 performs speed feedback control so that the inter-vehicle distance D approaches the target inter-vehicle distance D. For example, when the control target is the relative speed Vmut (the speed Vm of the host vehicle M — the speed of the preceding vehicle) and PI control is performed, the speed feedback control is simply expressed by equation (1). Where Kp is a proportional gain and Ki is an integral gain. The action plan generating unit 140 determines a target acceleration and a target speed of the belt with the target track, and outputs the determined target acceleration and target speed to the second control unit 150 so as to realize the relative speed determined as described above.

Vmut＝Kp×(D-D*)+Ki×∫(D-D*)dt···(1)

The follow-up running control unit 142 limits the follow-up running control based on the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 of the periphery recognition unit 130. Details will be described later.

The second control unit 150 controls the running driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

Returning to fig. 2, the second control unit 150 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 152, a speed control unit 154, and a steering control unit 156. The acquisition unit 152 acquires information on the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and stores the information in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 154 controls the running drive force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed element of the belt with the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 156 controls the steering device 220 according to the curve of the target track stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 154 and the steering control unit 156 is realized by, for example, combining feedforward control and feedback control. For example, the steering control unit 156 performs a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on deviation from the target trajectory.

The running drive force output device 200 outputs running drive force (torque) for running the vehicle to the drive wheels. The running drive force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls these. The ECU controls the above configuration in accordance with information input from the second control unit 150 or information input from the driving operation element 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor so that a braking torque corresponding to a braking operation is output to each wheel, in accordance with information input from the second control unit 150 or information input from the driving operation element 80. The brake device 210 may be provided with a mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operation element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder by controlling the actuator in accordance with information input from the second control unit 150.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the orientation of the steered wheels by applying a force to, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steered wheels in accordance with information input from the second control unit 150 or information input from the driving operation element 80.

[ limitation of follow-up running control ]

The following describes the limitation of the follow-up running control function performed by the follow-up running control unit 142.

The threshold information 126 defines, for example, a threshold T _ul The threshold value T _ul Is a basic threshold value for the temperature of the friction material when the follow-up running control is performed. Threshold value T _ul The temperature is set to a temperature at which the friction material reaches a brake failure state when the temperature of the friction material is maintained for a predetermined time or longer, that is, a temperature that is controlled so as not to exceed the temperature. "temperature of friction material or future temperature" described later is threshold value T _ul The above "is an example of the" predetermined reference ".

When the follow-up running control is being performed, the follow-up running control unit 142 sets the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 to the threshold value T _ul In the above case, it is considered that the predetermined criterion is satisfied and the follow-up running control is restricted. The "follow-up running restriction control" may be a control for stopping the follow-up running control or a control for stopping the follow-up running controlThe inter-vehicle distance is changed to a longer target inter-vehicle distance or the set speed is changed to a lower set speed, thereby suppressing the vehicle from traveling in a state close to the preceding vehicle. However, the follow-up running control unit 142 corrects the threshold value T based on various elements described below _ul Thus, the predetermined reference is changed to "the follow-up running control side is difficult to be restricted" or "the follow-up running control side is easy to be restricted".

[ correction method taking into account uphill/downhill status ]

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a correction rule in consideration of the ascending/descending state of the traveling road recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130. The correction rule is included in the threshold information 126, for example. The follow-up running control unit 142 corrects the threshold T based on, for example, the ascending/descending state of the running path recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 _ul . When the traveling road is a downhill, follow-up traveling control unit 142 performs slave threshold T _ul Subtracting the correction of Ta and calculating the threshold value T again _ul . Reducing the threshold T like this _ul The correction of (2) is an example of changing to the side where it is difficult to limit the follow-up running control.

When the travel path is a flat path, the follow-up travel control unit 142 does not correct the threshold T _ul . When the traveling road is an ascending slope, follow-up traveling control unit 142 performs setting of threshold value T _ul Corrected by adding Tb to recalculate threshold T _ul . Increasing the threshold value T like this _ul The correction method (2) is an example of changing to a control side where follow-up running is easily restricted.

When a slope is expressed by a combination of the absolute value of an angle and positive and negative values, an uphill is a road having a slope equal to or greater than a positive predetermined angle (e.g., 3 degrees), and a downhill is a road having a slope equal to or less than a negative predetermined angle (e.g., -3 degrees), and when the slope does not match either of the uphill and downhill, the road is a flat road. In this way, the follow-up running control unit 142 classifies the states of, for example, uphill and downhill of the running road in stages, and performs correction according to the classification.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example in which the follow-up running control unit 142 performs the threshold T according to the state of the uphill or downhill _ul A graph of the corrected result of (1).

Since the traveling road is a flat road without ascending and descending in the section from the position P0 to the position P1, the follow-up running control unit 142 uses the threshold value T corresponding to the use of the follow-up running control function _ul . At the position P1 (or at a point in front of the arrival position P1), the scheduled road is an ascending slope, and the possibility of using the brake is low compared to the case where the ascending/descending is not performed, and therefore the follow-up running control unit 142 sets the threshold value T to the threshold value T _ul And T _a And adding and correcting. As a result, the follow-up running control unit 142 is difficult to restrict the follow-up running control.

At the position P2, the planned road is on a downhill slope before the position P3, and since the possibility of using more brakes is high as compared with the case of no elevation, the follow-up running control unit 142 moves from the threshold T _ul Minus T _a And (6) correcting. As a result, the follow-up running control unit 142 easily restricts the follow-up running control.

[ correction method taking into account curved road ]

The follow-up running control unit 142 may correct the threshold T based on the degree of detour of the running path recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 _ul . The degree of meandering is obtained by digitizing a part or all of the proportion of the distance occupied by the curved route in the target section, the number of curves present in the target section, the curvature of the curved route, and the like, for example. The degree of meandering is, for example, an index value that has a higher value as the ratio of the distance occupied by a curved road is higher, a higher value as the number of turns present in the target section is larger, and a higher value as the curvature of the curved road is larger. The follow-up running control unit 142 determines the threshold T based on the degree of meandering, for example, in a stepwise manner _ul The correction amount of (1).

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the threshold value T in consideration of the curve by the follow-up running control unit 142 _ul A figure of the correction rule of (1). When the degree of meandering is high (for example, when the degree of meandering is equal to or greater than the first reference value), the follow-up running control unit 142 performs the sub-threshold T _ul Subtracting the correction of 2Tb and calculating the threshold value T again _ul . In the case where the degree of meandering is intermediate (for example, in the case where the degree of meandering is smaller than the first reference value and equal to or larger than the second reference value),follow-up running control unit 142 performs a slave threshold T _ul Minus T _b To recalculate the threshold value T _ul . When the degree of winding curvature is low (for example, when the degree of winding curvature is smaller than the second reference value), the follow-up running control unit 142 does not correct the threshold value T _ul 。

[ correction method taking into account object target ]

The follow-up running control unit 142 may correct the threshold T according to the number of object targets around the host vehicle M _ul . The object target is, for example, another traffic participant such as another vehicle, a road sign, a lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle M travels, or the like. When there are many peripheral object targets, it can be said that the host vehicle M is highly likely to be decelerated by being influenced by each of the object targets. When there are few peripheral object targets, it can be said that the host vehicle M is less likely to be affected by the object targets and is less likely to decelerate.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the threshold value T in consideration of the object target by the follow-up running control unit 142 _ul A figure of the correction rule of (1). When the number of peripheral object targets is large (for example, when the number is equal to or larger than the first reference value), follow-up running control unit 142 performs follow-up running from threshold T _ul Minus T _c To recalculate the threshold value T _ul . When the target number of peripheral objects is moderate (for example, smaller than the first reference value and equal to or larger than the second reference value), follow-up running control unit 142 does not correct threshold value T _ul . When the number of peripheral object targets is small (for example, smaller than the second reference value), follow-up running control unit 142 sets threshold value T to be lower _ul And T _c Added correction to recalculate the threshold value T _ul 。

The follow-up running control unit 142 may reflect, on the threshold T, whether the other vehicle OV recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 is running in the same lane as the traveling direction of the host vehicle M or in the opposite lane _ul Presence or absence of correction or threshold value T of _ul To the extent of correction of (1). For example, when the vehicle M travels in the same lane as the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the follow-up travel controlA control part 142 for controlling the threshold value T _ul Modifying the threshold T in a lower manner _ul . In the case where another vehicle OV traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle M is recognized, the follow-up traveling control unit 142 may be configured to set the threshold T so that the braking operation is more likely to be required in the latter situation, as compared with the case where another vehicle OV is recognized in the opposite lane with the center isolation belt interposed therebetween _ul Modifying the threshold T in a lower manner _ul 。

Fig. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating examples of the object recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130.

In fig. 7 and 8, 4 other vehicles OV are recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130, but the number of lanes R2 is increased in fig. 8 as compared with fig. 7. Compared with fig. 7, fig. 8 is added with a road sign RM, and the road sign RM is a sign urging to crawl.

In the example of fig. 8, the follow-up running control unit 142 lowers the threshold T in consideration of the fact that the possibility that the braking operation is required is higher than in the situation shown in fig. 7 because the lane R2 recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 and the road sign RM urging the slowing of the vehicle are present _ul And (4) correcting.

[ summary of correction method ]

The correction methods described can be carried out in combination. For example, follow-up running control unit 142 performs threshold T as described below _ul And (4) correcting.

(1) The traveling road is a downhill, the degree of roundabout and bending is low, and the number of objects is small:

threshold value T _ul ＝T _ul -T _a

(2) The traveling road is a downhill, the degree of roundabout bending is medium, and the number of objects is large:

threshold value T _ul ＝T _ul -T _a -T _b -T _c

When determining that the follow-up running control function is not to be continuously executed, the follow-up running control unit 142 may notify the passenger via the HMI30 or the like that the follow-up running control function is released because it is determined that the possibility of the brake failure state is high, or that it is preferable to stop the vehicle or to slow the vehicle until the temperature of the friction material decreases if there is a time margin.

As described above, when the follow-up running control is used, the temperature of the subject vehicle M at the friction material is the threshold value T _ul In the above case, the follow-up running control is released and the switching to the manual driving is performed, whereby the timing of releasing the follow-up running control function can be appropriately controlled. Instead of determining the correction degree in stages as shown in fig. 3, 5, and 6, the correction degree may be determined continuously, for example, according to the degree of a slope. For example, in the case of a downhill slope, the correction amount Tmod = f (θ) may be determined. f () is a function that returns a negative value having a larger absolute value as the degree of downhill becomes higher. However, when considering that the control becomes complicated, it is preferable to perform the correction in stages.

[ treatment procedure ]

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the first control unit 120. First, the temperature acquiring unit 136 acquires the temperature of the friction material (step S100). Next, the periphery recognition unit 130 recognizes the peripheral state of the host vehicle M (step S102). Next, the follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the running path recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 is flat (step S104), and if not, corrects the threshold T as described above _ul (step S106).

Next, the follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the degree of meandering of the running path recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio (in the above example, "medium" or greater) (step S108), and corrects the threshold value T when the degree of meandering is equal to or greater than the predetermined ratio _ul (step S110).

Next, the follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the object target equal to or larger than the reference value is recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 (step S112), and corrects the threshold value T when the object target equal to or larger than the reference value is recognized _ul (step S114).

Next, the follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 is the threshold value T _ul This is done (step S116). When it is judged that the temperature of the friction member is the threshold value T _ul In the case of the above-mentioned situation,the follow-up running control function is not continuously used (step S118). If it is not determined that the follow-up running control unit 142 is the threshold T _ul In the above case, the follow-up running control function is permitted to be continuously used, and the process of the present flow is terminated.

As described above, the vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment includes: a periphery recognition unit 130 that recognizes the periphery environment of the host vehicle M; an automatic driving control device 100 that performs acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control for the host vehicle M based on the output information of the periphery recognition unit 130; a temperature acquisition unit 136 for acquiring the temperature of the friction material controlled by the automatic driving control device 100, wherein the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 is less than the threshold value T described in the threshold value information 126 _ul In the case of (3), the automatic driving control device 100 permits the use of the follow-up running control function and sets the threshold value T to be _ul In the above case, the automatic drive control device 100 interrupts the use of the follow-up running control function, and changes the threshold T based on the gradient of the running path of the host vehicle M recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 _ul This makes it possible to appropriately control the timing of release of the follow-up running control function.

The vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment may change the threshold T based on the degree of detour of the travel path recognized by the periphery recognition unit 130 and the number of object targets in the periphery of the host vehicle M, in addition to the gradient of the travel path of the host vehicle M _ul This makes it possible to appropriately control the timing of release of the follow-up running control function.

In the above-described embodiment, the follow-up running control unit 142 may correct the threshold T _ul In this case, in addition to the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M recognized by the surrounding recognition unit 130, the climate, the time zone, the weather, and the state of the road surface (for example, whether the road surface is dry or wet) in which the host vehicle M travels are considered.

< second embodiment >

The vehicle system 1A of the second embodiment is explained below. In the second embodiment, a case where the follow-up running control function is realized by the automatic running will be described.

Fig. 10 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1A of the second embodiment. The automatic driving control device 100A included in the vehicle system 1A further includes an automatic driving level management unit 110, and different automatic driving level threshold value information 126a is stored in a storage unit 125.

The automated driving level management section 110 manages an automated driving level. The automatic driving level is a level at which a control target of automatic driving is set in accordance with a degree, such as a level at which all vehicle controls are automatically performed, a level at which vehicle controls are automatically performed such as acceleration, deceleration, or steering. In the following description, the following division is set as the automatic driving level, and a case will be described in which the automatic driving control device 100A recognizes the current automatic driving level and performs control. For example, the automatic driving level 3 is a state (may be distracted) in which the driver does not need to constantly monitor the running state of the host vehicle M. The automatic driving level 3 is executed under a certain condition (for example, when constant speed running is performed in a traffic jam). The automatic driving level 2 is a state in which the driver monitors the running state of the vehicle M, but the system is entrusted with steering and speed control, and the passenger is more under a higher level of attention than the automatic driving level 3. The automatic driving level 1 is a state in which the driver controls almost all of the traveling states of the host vehicle M by requesting only a specific function (for example, an inter-vehicle distance maintaining function) to the system, and performs driving support control instead of so-called automatic driving.

The automated driving level management unit 110 determines the automated driving level at the current time point based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle recognized by the surrounding recognition unit 130 of the first control unit 120A and the temperature of the friction material recognized by the vehicle state recognition unit 135, and notifies each unit of the determined automated driving level.

When the automated driving level 2 is an example of the "first automated driving state", the automated driving level 3 is an example of the "second automated driving state". When the automated driving level 1 is an example of the "first automated driving state", the automated driving level 2 or the automated driving level 3 is an example of the "second automated driving state".

Follow-up running control (selection of threshold value) according to automatic driving level

The following describes the follow-up running control (selection of the threshold value) according to the automatic driving level performed by the follow-up running control unit 142. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the automatic driving level and the threshold value T of the allowed friction member _ul A graph of the relationship of (a). The different automatic driving level threshold value information 126a defines, for example, a threshold value T that is a basic threshold value for each automatic driving level with respect to the temperature of the friction material in the case of performing automatic driving control _ul1 ～T _ul3 . For example, in the case of an automatic driving level 1, the threshold T is defined _ul1 If the automatic driving level is 2, the threshold value T is defined to be higher than the level 1 _ul1 Low threshold value T _ul2 When the automatic driving level 3 is set, the threshold value T is set to be higher than the level 2 _ul2 Low threshold value T _ul3 。

The follow-up running control unit 142 extracts a threshold value corresponding to the automated driving level notified from the automated driving level management unit 110 from the different automated driving level threshold value information 126a, and performs the same control as the first embodiment using the extracted threshold value.

The temperature of the friction material of the host vehicle M acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 during the period in which the host vehicle M is traveling at the automatic driving level 3 is higher than the threshold value T corresponding to the level 2 _ul2 Low and specific threshold value T corresponding to level 3 _ul3 When the vehicle speed is high, follow-up running control unit 142 notifies autonomous driving level management unit 110 of a give up (give up) (notification of stopping running at level 3), and stops follow-up running control. In response to this, the automatic driving level management unit 110 changes the automatic driving level to the automatic driving level 2. When the automatic driving level is changed, the automatic driving level management unit 110 prompts the passenger to change the automatic driving level to level 2 and to give a notification of holding the steering wheel via the HMI30 or the like. As a result of the lowering of the automated driving level by the automated driving level management unit 110, the corresponding threshold value is increased, and therefore there is a possibility that the follow-up running control by the automated driving at the lowered level may be restarted.

For example, when the automated driving level is to be increased, the automated driving level management unit 110 makes an inquiry to the follow-up running control unit 142. If the automated driving level is increased from the current level, the follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the temperature of the friction material of the host vehicle M exceeds a threshold value, and if it is determined that the temperature exceeds the threshold value, it notifies the automated driving level management unit 110 that the automated driving level is prohibited from being increased. As a result, the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquiring unit 136 is higher than the threshold T corresponding to level 2 _ul2 Low and higher than threshold T corresponding to level 3 _ul3 When the vehicle speed is high, the automatic driving level management unit 110 can set (maintain or change) the automatic driving level to the automatic driving level 2, but cannot set the automatic driving level to the level 3.

As shown in fig. 11, by setting stepwise temperatures according to the automated driving levels in the different automated driving level threshold information 126a, even when the temperature of the friction material increases, the host vehicle M can lower the automated driving level stepwise (gradually release the degree of control) according to the temperature of the friction material. Therefore, the passenger can respond more comfortably than the case where the automatic driving level of the own vehicle M is changed greatly at a time.

[ treatment procedure ]

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the automatic driving level management unit 110 and the follow-up running control unit 142. Steps S200 to S214 of the flowchart of fig. 12 correspond to steps S100 to S114 of the flowchart of fig. 9. In steps S200 to S214 of the flowchart of fig. 12, the automated driving level management unit 110 and the follow-up running control unit 142 perform their processes. Therefore, step S216 and step S218 are explained below.

After the processing of step S212 or step S214, follow-up running control unit 142 determines whether or not the temperature of the friction material acquired by temperature acquisition unit 136 is threshold T corresponding to the automatic driving level _ul This is done (step S216). When follow-up running control unit 142 determines that threshold T corresponds to the automatic driving level _ul In the above case, the follow-up running control is stopped and the discard notification is given, and when receiving the notification, the follow-up running control is automatically stoppedThe active driving level management unit 110 changes the automatic driving level (step S218). The above description of the processing of this flow ends.

As described above, the vehicle system 1A according to the second embodiment can perform control in which the change in control is gradual and the passenger can easily follow the control because the follow-up running control is restricted by preparing the threshold value for each automatic driving level in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Since the follow-up running control is more easily continued by increasing the threshold value as the automated driving level is lower, it is possible to prevent the locked state from being established in a state where the automated driving level is high, and to perform control close to actual control such as manual driving when control is difficult.

< third embodiment >

The vehicle system 1B according to the third embodiment is explained below. In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which the follow-up running control function is realized not as a part of the automated driving but by the driving support function.

Fig. 13 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1B of the third embodiment. The vehicle system 1B differs from the vehicle system 1 of the first embodiment in that a driving support control device 300 is provided instead of the automatic driving control device 100. The driving support control device 300 includes a recognition unit 310, an ACC control unit 320, an LKAS (Lane keep Assistance System) control unit 330, and a storage unit 340. The storage unit 340 of the driving support control apparatus 300 stores different driving support function threshold information 341. In the third embodiment, the ACC control unit 320 is an example of a "driving control unit".

The recognition unit 310 includes a periphery recognition unit 312 and a temperature acquisition unit 314. The periphery recognizing unit 312 has the same function as the periphery recognizing unit 130. The temperature acquisition unit 314 has the same function as the temperature acquisition unit 136. Similarly to the follow-up running control unit 142 of the first embodiment, when the inter-vehicle distance D from the preceding vehicle is sufficiently larger than the target inter-vehicle distance D (or the preceding vehicle is not recognized), the ACC control unit 320 performs the constant speed running control so as to run at the set speed (upper limit speed). If the inter-vehicle distance D from the preceding vehicle is not sufficiently greater than the target inter-vehicle distance D (or the preceding vehicle is not recognized), the ACC control unit 320 performs speed feedback control so that the inter-vehicle distance D approaches the target inter-vehicle distance D. ACC control unit 320 restricts the follow-up running control based on the temperature of the friction material acquired by temperature acquisition unit 314.

The ACC control unit 320 uses the ACC function based on the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 314 and the threshold T for use of the ACC function specified in the different driving assistance function threshold information 341 _ul To determine whether or not to limit the ACC control (follow-up running control).

The LKAS control unit 330 controls the steering reaction force or the steering torque output by the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M travels while maintaining (keeping the traveling lane) the traveling lane currently traveling. The LKAS control unit 330 performs the above-described lane keeping independently of the state of the follow-up running control by the ACC control unit 320.

Next, the restriction of the driving assistance function by the ACC control unit 320 will be described. Similarly to the follow-up running control unit 142, when the subject vehicle M is performing the follow-up running control, the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 314 is the threshold value T _ul In the above case, ACC control unit 320 restricts the follow-up running control assuming that a predetermined criterion is satisfied.

[ treatment procedure ]

Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing performed by the ACC control unit 320. Steps S300 to S314 of the flowchart of fig. 14 correspond to steps S100 to S114 of the flowchart of fig. 9. In steps S300 to S314 of the flowchart of fig. 14, the ACC control unit 320 performs the processing. Therefore, step S316 and step S318 will be described below.

After the processing of step S312 or step S314, the ACC control unit 320 determines whether or not the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 314 is the threshold value T for each driving assistance function _ul This is done (step S316). ACC control unit 320 determines threshold value T for each driving support function _ul In the above case, the setting of the driving support function is changed (step S318). When it is not determined that the threshold T is set, the ACC control unit 320 _ul The aboveIn the case of (3), it is considered that the process of the present flow is ended without changing the setting of the driving support control.

As described above, in the vehicle system 1B according to the third embodiment, the temperature acquired by the temperature acquiring unit 314 can be changed to the threshold T, which is the predetermined reference described in the different driving support function threshold information 341, as in the first and second embodiments _ul The above-described automatic driving level can appropriately control the change of the driving assistance function such as ACC.

< fourth embodiment >

The vehicle system 1C according to the fourth embodiment is explained below. In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which the following travel control function is realized by using the automatic driving function and the various driving support functions together and by each function.

Fig. 15 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1C of the fourth embodiment. The vehicle system 1C includes both the automatic driving control device 100 and the driving support control device 300.

The automatic driving control device 100 has the same function as the automatic driving control device 100 according to the first embodiment or the automatic driving control device 100A according to the second embodiment. The driving support control device 300 has the same function as the driving support control device 300 of the third embodiment. The threshold value that becomes the reference for restricting the follow-up running control provided by the driving support control device 300 is higher than the threshold value that becomes the reference for restricting the follow-up running control provided by the automatic driving control device 100. For example, there are possibilities as follows: even when the automated driving level is changed by the automated driving control apparatus 100 (for example, when the automated driving is stopped after the level 2 is lowered), the driving support control apparatus 300 can continue to control the driving control function such as the ACC function.

[ treatment procedure ]

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the automatic driving control apparatus 100 and the driving support control apparatus 300 according to the fourth embodiment. Steps S400 to S414 of the flowchart of fig. 16 correspond to steps S100 to S114 of the flowchart of fig. 9. In steps S400 to S414 of the flowchart of fig. 16, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 and/or the driving support control apparatus 300 performs the processing. Therefore, steps S416 to S418 will be described below.

After the process of step S412 or S414, the automatic driving control device 100 determines whether or not the temperature of the friction material acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 136 is the threshold T corresponding to the automatic driving level and the driving support function _ul This is done (step S416). When it is determined that the threshold T is used, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 and/or the driving support control apparatus 300 _ul In the above case, the setting of the automatic driving level and/or the driving support function is changed (step S418). The automatic driving control apparatus 100 and/or the driving support control apparatus 300 does not determine the threshold T _ul In the above case, it is considered that the process of the present flow is ended without suspending the change of the automatic driving level and/or the use of the driving support control.

As described above, the vehicle system 1C according to the fourth embodiment includes the automatic driving control device 100 or both the automatic driving control device 100A and the driving support control device 300, and determines whether or not the automatic driving level needs to be changed and whether or not the driving support function can be continued, based on the temperature of the friction material, respectively, and therefore, the same effects as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained.

[ hardware configuration ]

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of various control devices according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control device has a configuration in which a communication controller 100-1, a CPU100-2, a RAM100-3 used as a work memory, a ROM100-4 storing a boot program and the like, a flash memory, a storage device 100-5 such as an HDD, a drive device 100-6, and the like are connected to each other via an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 performs communication with components other than the automatic driving control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is developed into the RAM100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like, and executed by the CPU 100-2. In this way, some or all of the automatic driving level management unit 110, the first control unit 120, the second control unit 150, the recognition unit 310, the ACC control unit 320, and the LKAS control unit 330 are realized.

The above-described embodiments can be expressed as follows.

An automatic driving control device is configured to include:

a storage device storing a program; and

a hardware processor for processing the received data, wherein the hardware processor,

the hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform the following processing:

identifying a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

performing acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle;

acquiring the temperature of a friction piece of a braking device;

limiting the follow-up running control when the acquired temperature satisfies a predetermined reference; and

the predetermined reference is changed based on a gradient of a traveling path of the vehicle.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

a periphery recognition unit that recognizes a periphery environment of the vehicle;

a driving control unit that performs acceleration/deceleration control of the vehicle including follow-up running control of a preceding vehicle, based on the output information of the periphery recognition unit; and

an acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of a friction material of a brake device controlled by the driving control unit,

the drive control unit has a function of limiting the follow-up running control when the temperature acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined reference,

the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to be higher when the vehicle travels in a first automated driving state that is an automated driving state in which a degree of participation of a driver of the vehicle in driving steering is low than when the vehicle travels in a second automated driving state that is an automated driving state in which the degree of participation of the driver in driving steering is lower than in the first automated driving state.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference based on the gradient of the traveling path of the vehicle acquired by the periphery recognizing unit.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2,

in the case where the gradient is an ascending slope, the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to the follow-up running control side to be difficult to restrict as compared with the case where the gradient is flat,

when the gradient is a downward gradient, the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference to a lower level on the follow-up running control side that is easy to restrict than when the gradient is flat.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the driving control unit obtains a degree of meandering of a running path of the vehicle, and changes the predetermined reference to a lower level when the degree of meandering is high.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the driving control unit changes the predetermined reference in accordance with the number of object targets in the periphery of the vehicle recognized by the periphery recognition unit.

6. A control method for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control method causes a computer to perform:

identifying a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

acquiring the temperature of a friction piece of a braking device;

when the vehicle travels in a first autonomous state, which is an autonomous state in which a degree of participation of a driver of the vehicle in driving steering is low, the predetermined reference is changed to be higher than when the vehicle travels in a second autonomous state, which is an autonomous state in which the degree of participation of the driver in driving steering is low, compared to the first autonomous state.

7. A storage medium, wherein,

the storage medium stores a program that causes a computer to execute:

identifying a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

acquiring the temperature of a friction piece of a braking device;