JP2000113394A - Controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely transmit a dangerous situation ahead of its own vehicle to a following vehicle by detecting the lighting of the warning light of a preceding vehicle by using an image picked-up image, and lighting the warning light of its own vehicle in response to this detection. SOLUTION: This controller for a vehicle is constituted so as to be operated in a 'follow-up mode' in which the automatic driving of its own vehicle 200 is operated. A control part 4 of the preceding vehicle 100 applies the position data of the preceding vehicle 100 applied from a position detecting part 1 and speed data outputted by a speed sensor 2 to a transmitter 3, and allows the transmitter 3 to transmit the data to the other vehicle. An image pickup device 30 in its own vehicle 200 image picks up the front part of its own vehicle 200. A warning light detecting means(main control part 15 or the like) detects the lighting of the warning light of the preceding vehicle 100 by using the image picked up by the image pickup device 30. A warning light Lighting controlling means(main control part 15 or the like) turns on the warning light of its own vehicle 200 in response to the detection of the lighting of the warning light of the preceding vehicle 100 by the warning light detecting means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle control device having a structure for appropriately giving a warning to a driver of a following vehicle or a host vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information such as a current position, a vehicle speed and a steering angle has been received from a preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication.
2. Description of the Related Art There has been proposed an automatic traveling vehicle capable of automatically driving in a tracking mode, which automatically tracks a preceding vehicle by automatically controlling a steering mechanism and a vehicle speed so as to follow a traveling locus of the preceding vehicle while maintaining an appropriate inter-vehicle distance.

[0003] An image pickup device for picking up an image of the front of the vehicle is provided. A white line on the road is recognized from the image picked up by the image pickup device, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling properly in the lane. Also, a device that issues a warning when the vehicle deviates from the lane has been proposed. In this case, for example, a warning is issued by vibrating the steering wheel with the actuator.

[0004]

In the automatic driving in the above-mentioned tracking mode, the own vehicle is accelerated / decelerated in accordance with the acceleration / deceleration of the preceding vehicle. Distance can be maintained. The deceleration is achieved by reducing the throttle opening of the engine or automatically controlling the brake pressure. However, since the brake pedal is not depressed, the brake lamp at the rear of the vehicle does not light. Therefore, the deceleration of the own vehicle can be recognized only by visual measurement of the following distance by the driver of the following vehicle.

As a result, the preceding vehicle to be tracked decelerates,
When the own vehicle decelerates following this, the fact cannot be promptly transmitted to the driver of the following vehicle, and safety may be impaired. In particular, when suddenly decelerating in a traffic jam or suddenly decelerating, the driver often depresses the brake pedal and also turns on the hazard lamp at the same time. However, when such rapid deceleration is performed by automatic driving,
Since the brake lamp or the hazard lamp does not light up, a dangerous situation ahead cannot be efficiently transmitted to the following vehicle.

On the other hand, in a configuration in which a lane departure of the host vehicle is detected by recognizing an image in front of the host vehicle and a warning is issued, the steering wheel vibrates regardless of whether the lane departure is due to the driver's intention or not. Therefore, it may be uncomfortable for the driver, and it cannot be said that there is no problem in terms of safety. That is, for example, when the lane is changed, the driver deviates from the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling, but it is not appropriate to vibrate the steering wheel even in such a case.

[0007] In addition, since this device is based on the premise that a white line exists on a road, on a road without a white line,
Since the function cannot be exhibited effectively, it cannot be said that the safety is always sufficient. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of improving safety.

A first specific object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of reliably transmitting a dangerous situation ahead of a subject vehicle to a following vehicle, thereby improving safety. To provide. Further, the second aspect of the present invention
A specific object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can appropriately generate a warning by determining whether or not the lane departure of the own vehicle is due to the driver's intention.

Further, a third specific object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of detecting a lane departure of the own vehicle regardless of the presence or absence of a white line on a road.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus for picking up an image of the front of a vehicle, and an image picked up by the image pickup apparatus. A warning light detecting means (15, A1, A2) for detecting the lighting of the warning light of the preceding vehicle using the image, and responding to the detection of the lighting of the warning light of the preceding vehicle by the warning light detecting means. A control device for a vehicle, comprising: warning light lighting control means (15, A3, A4) for lighting a warning light of the vehicle. Note that the alphanumeric characters in parentheses are reference numerals for corresponding components and the like in embodiments described later. Hereinafter, the same applies in this section.

The warning light may be a brake light (6) or a hazard light (7) of a preceding vehicle. Further, in this case, the warning light detecting means can distinguish and detect the brake lamp and the hazard lamp, and the warning light lighting control means includes the lamp detected by the warning light detecting means. It is preferable to turn on the same type of lamp (brake lamp or hazard lamp).

According to the above configuration, when the warning light of the preceding vehicle is turned on, the warning light of the own vehicle is also turned on automatically.
A dangerous situation ahead can be promptly transmitted to the following vehicle. In particular, in the case of automatic driving in which the vehicle ahead is automatically tracked while maintaining the inter-vehicle distance, the brake lamp does not light in the conventional configuration even during deceleration,
According to the configuration of the present invention, the warning lamp is automatically turned on. Thereby, a dangerous situation can be promptly and reliably transmitted to the following vehicle, and as a result, safety can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rapid deceleration detecting means (15, B2) for detecting that the host vehicle has decelerated more rapidly than a predetermined reference, and a rapid deceleration detecting means for detecting the rapid deceleration exceeding the predetermined reference. And a warning light lighting control means (15, B3) for lighting a warning light of the own vehicle in response to the detection of the vehicle control signal. According to this configuration, the warning light is turned on in response to the sudden deceleration of the own vehicle, so that the following vehicle can be automatically notified that a dangerous situation is approaching ahead. Thereby, safety can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a lane departure detecting means (15, 3) for detecting that the vehicle deviates from the lane.
0, C1, C2) and a warning generating means (15, 22, C4) for generating a warning in response to the lane departure detecting means detecting that the vehicle deviates from the lane.
Driver intention determining means (C3, D11) for determining whether or not the deviation of the vehicle from the lane is due to the driver's intention
And when the lane departure detecting means detects that the vehicle deviates from the lane, and the driver intention determining means determines that the departure from the lane is due to the driver's intention. Warning prohibiting means for prohibiting generation of a warning by the warning generating means (YES in C3, D
11 YES).

According to this configuration, a warning is prohibited when the driver departs from the lane due to the driver's intention, so that the warning is appropriately generated. As a result, the driver does not feel uncomfortable and safety can be improved. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the driver's intention determining means includes a direction indicator operating state detecting means (35) for detecting an operating state of a direction indicator of the own vehicle, and a lane departure detecting means for determining whether or not the own vehicle is in a lane. When the departure from the lane is detected and the direction indicator operation detecting means detects that the direction indicator is operating, the deviation from the lane is due to the driver's intention. Means (C
4. The control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the control device includes: (3) YES).

According to this configuration, the intention of the driver can be confirmed by detecting the operation state of the turn signal. Therefore, an appropriate warning can be generated with a simple configuration and processing. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the driver intention determining means includes a steering torque detecting means (4) for detecting a steering torque.
0) and a steering purpose determination means (15, FIG. 9) for determining the purpose of the steering by using the second order differential value of the steering torque time detected by the steering torque detection means. A vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein:

According to this configuration, the intention of the driver can be reliably detected by using the second-order differential value (acceleration of the change of the steering torque) with respect to the time of the steering torque. As a result, a more appropriate warning can be generated. It is preferable that the steering purpose determination means includes means for determining whether the purpose of the steering is a lane change or a curve approach based on a change acceleration of the steering torque and a time change of the change acceleration. Specifically, the steering purpose determination means determines that the steering purpose is a lane change when the change acceleration of the steering torque is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value and the change acceleration decreases after a lapse of a short time. (S2, S3, S4). In addition, the steering purpose determination unit may determine that the steering purpose is to enter a curve when the change acceleration of the steering torque is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold and the change acceleration does not decrease after the elapse of the minute time. (S2, S3, S5) may be included. Further, the steering purpose determination means includes:
The change acceleration of the steering torque is not below the threshold value, and
If the change acceleration does not decrease after the elapse of the minute time, a means for determining that the steering purpose is a lane change may be included (S2, S6, S4). Further, the steering purpose determination means may determine that the purpose of the steering is to enter a curve when the change acceleration of the steering torque is not equal to or less than the threshold value and the change acceleration decreases after the elapse of the minute time. Determination means (S2, S6, S5) may be included.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup device (30) for picking up an image in front of the host vehicle, and a fixed positional relationship between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the image picked up by the image pickup device. A positional relationship change detecting means (15, E3) for detecting that a change exceeding a reference has occurred; and a steering detecting means (45, E3) for detecting whether or not the own vehicle is being steered.
E2), when the positional relationship change detecting means detects a change in the positional relationship exceeding the predetermined reference and the steering detecting means detects the steering of the own vehicle, the own vehicle deviates from the lane. A vehicle lane departure determining means (15, YES in E2, YES in E3) for determining that the vehicle has departed.

According to this configuration, the image of the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle is picked up by the image pickup device, and the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is grasped based on the image.
Then, when steering is performed in the own vehicle and the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle greatly changes, it is determined that the own vehicle has deviated from the lane. If there is a large change in the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle even though the steering of the own vehicle is not performed, the preceding vehicle can be considered to have deviated from the lane. Is not considered out of the lane.

In this manner, the deviation from the lane can be detected without depending on the white line on the road, so that the warning can be appropriately generated even on the road without the white line, and the safety is improved. it can. . According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the vehicle deviates from the lane, a warning generating means (22, E
It is preferable to further include 4).

Further, the steering detecting means may detect a state in which the steering wheel is turned by a predetermined angle or more from a steering angle midpoint as a state in which steering is being performed.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control device is configured to be capable of operating in a “tracking mode” in which the own vehicle 200 is automatically driven by tracking the preceding vehicle 100.

The preceding vehicle 100 includes a position detector 1 such as a GPS receiver, a vehicle speed sensor 2, a transmitter 3, and a controller 4 for controlling these. The control unit 4
The position data of the preceding vehicle 100 given from the position detection unit 1 and the vehicle speed data outputted by the vehicle speed sensor 2 are given to the transmitter 3 and transmitted to other vehicles. Preceding vehicle 1
00 is provided with a brake pedal switch 5 for detecting the operation of the brake pedal, and a brake lamp 6 at the rear of the vehicle that lights up in response to the operation. And a hazard lamp switch 8 for turning on / off.

The vehicle control device according to this embodiment mounted on the own vehicle 200 receives information from the preceding vehicle 100 and transmits information on the traveling of the own vehicle 200 to the following vehicle. Unit 11, a position detection unit 12 such as a GPS receiver, a vehicle speed sensor 13 for detecting the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 200, an acceleration detection unit 14 for detecting the acceleration of the own vehicle 200, And a main controller 15 provided. Further, the vehicle control device includes an electric power steering device (EP
S) A steering control unit 17 for realizing automatic steering by controlling 16; and an acceleration / deceleration control unit 20 for controlling acceleration / deceleration by controlling a throttle actuator 18 and a brake actuator 19 for changing the throttle opening of the engine. A tracking start switch 21 for setting a tracking mode for performing automatic tracking of the preceding vehicle 100; and a warning generation unit 22 for giving vibration to the steering wheel and generating a warning for the driver. Are also connected to the main control unit 15.

The main controller 15 also includes an output signal of a brake pedal switch 24 for detecting an operation of the brake pedal by the driver, and a lighting / lighting of a hazard lamp 27.
An output signal of a hazard lamp switch 25 arranged near the driver's seat for instructing to turn off is input.
The main controller 15 turns on the brake lamp 26 when the brake pedal switch 24 is turned on, and turns on / off the hazard lamp 27 in accordance with the turning on / off of the hazard lamp switch 25.

The acceleration / deceleration control unit 20 includes the preceding vehicle 1
The output of the laser radar 23 for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between 00 and the own vehicle 200 is input. Main control unit 1
5 further includes a C that captures an image in front of the vehicle 200.
The output of the imaging device 30 such as a CD camera is provided. The imaging device 30 mainly captures an image of the rear part of the preceding vehicle, and the brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 of the preceding vehicle 100 that is ahead in the same lane in the imaging field of view.
Can be captured.

The position detector 12 detects the current position of the vehicle 200 and inputs position data representing the current position to the main controller 15. The vehicle speed sensor 13 is configured by, for example, a wheel speed sensor that outputs one pulse each time the wheel makes one rotation. The acceleration detection unit 14 may directly detect acceleration and deceleration by a G sensor or the like, or may calculate the acceleration of the vehicle based on a time change of the output of the vehicle speed sensor 13.

When the tracking mode is set by the tracking start switch 21, the main control unit 15 receives the information on the traveling of the preceding vehicle 100 received by the communication unit 11 (hereinafter referred to as “preceding vehicle information”). get. The preceding vehicle information includes information such as the current position, steering angle, and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 100. The main control unit 15
A tracking control plan for automatic driving that tracks the preceding vehicle 100 is created based on the preceding vehicle information and information related to the traveling of the own vehicle 200 (hereinafter, referred to as “own vehicle information”). In addition, the own vehicle information includes each data provided from the position detection unit 12, the vehicle speed sensor 13, and the acceleration detection unit 14, and the like.

The tracking control plan created by the main control unit 15 includes:
Including a steering control plan and an acceleration / deceleration control plan, the steering control plan is given to the steering control unit 17, and the acceleration / deceleration control plan is given to the acceleration / deceleration control unit 20. These plans are based on the preceding vehicle 1
It is designed so that the own vehicle 200 follows the traveling locus of 00. That is, the distance between the preceding vehicle 10 and the
In order to track 0, the vehicle 200 is designed to arrive at the current position of the preceding vehicle 100 with a delay corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance.

The steering control unit 17 controls the electric power steering device 16 based on the steering control plan given from the main control unit 15, thereby realizing automatic steering.
The acceleration / deceleration control unit 20 controls the throttle actuator 18 based on the acceleration / deceleration control plan given from the main control unit 15.
Is controlled to adjust the throttle opening, and the brake actuator 19 is controlled to adjust the brake pressure.
Thereby, the speed of the vehicle is controlled, and the inter-vehicle distance is appropriately maintained. The inter-vehicle distance detected by the laser radar 23 is fed back for acceleration / deceleration control by the acceleration / deceleration control unit 20.

In addition to such control, the main control unit 15
Based on the image captured by the imaging device 30, the preceding vehicle 10
The lighting state of the zero brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 is monitored, and the brake lamp 26 and the hazard lamp 27 of the host vehicle 200 are controlled based on the monitoring.
This control will be described below. FIG. 2 shows the brake lamp 26 and the hazard lamp 2 by the main control unit 15.
7 is a flowchart for explaining the control contents of FIG.
When the tracking mode is set by the tracking start switch 21, the main control unit 15 recognizes the image of the preceding vehicle 100 based on the image captured by the imaging device 30 (step A <b> 1). , Preceding vehicle 1
The image of the brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 at 00 are respectively recognized (step A2).

Further, the main controller 15 detects whether or not the brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 are turned on based on the image recognition result (step A3). If both lamps 6 and 7 are off (NO in step A3), the process ends.
If the brake lamp 6 is on, the brake lamp 26 of the host vehicle is turned on. When it is detected that the hazard lamp 7 is in the lighting state (flashing operation), the hazard lamp 27 of the own vehicle is turned on (flashing operation). If the brake lamp 6 is on in the preceding vehicle 100 and the hazard lamp 7 is on,
Turn on the brake lamp 26 of the vehicle 200, and
The hazard lamp 27 is turned on (blinking operation). Thus, the same kind of lamp as the operating lamp in the preceding vehicle 100 is operated (step A4).

Then, after a predetermined time (for example, about 5 seconds) is measured by a built-in timer of the main control section 15 (step A5), the lamp operated in step A4 is turned off (step A6). Thus, according to this embodiment,
When the automatic tracking operation is performed by the tracking mode,
The brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 of the host vehicle 200 are operated in synchronization with the brake lamp 6 and the hazard lamp 7 of the preceding vehicle 100. Thereby, when a dangerous situation occurs in the front, this can be promptly transmitted to the following vehicle. That is, when the preceding vehicle 100 decelerates and the own vehicle 200 decelerates accordingly, this fact can be promptly transmitted to the following vehicle, so that safety can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, reference is again made to FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates a part of the control operation executed by the main control unit 15 for each fixed control cycle. When the tracking mode is set by the tracking start switch 21, the main control unit 15 controls the vehicle speed sensor 13.
The vehicle speed data from the vehicle 200 is read, and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 200 is detected (step B1). Then, the main control unit 15 compares the vehicle speed detection value in the previous control cycle with the vehicle speed detection value in the current control cycle, and determines whether the vehicle speed has decreased by a certain value or more (step B2). In other words, the main control unit 15, certain criteria (e.g., rapid decrease speed in excess of 3m / s ² at deceleration is determined whether performed. Then, as such rapid deceleration is performed When it is determined (YES in step B2), the main control unit 15 turns on the hazard lamp 27 (step B3) to call attention to the driver of the following vehicle.

Thereafter, after a certain time (for example, about 5 seconds) is measured by a timer provided inside the main control section 15 (step B4), the hazard lamp 27 is turned off (step B5). As described above, according to this embodiment, when the host vehicle 200 suddenly decelerates, the fact that the hazard lamp 27 is turned on can promptly notify the following vehicle. Thereby, the safety in vehicle operation can be improved.

In the tracking mode, the brake lamp 26 is not turned on even during deceleration. Therefore, when the hazard lamp 27 is operated in step B3, the brake lamp 26 is also turned on. Is preferred. Further, it is preferable that the operation of this embodiment is performed other than in the tracking mode. That is, for example,
If the driver suddenly gets caught in traffic on a highway or the like, the driver may depress the brake pedal and operate the hazard lamp switch 25 to warn the following vehicle. Therefore, if this embodiment is applied to a mode other than the tracking mode or to a vehicle that does not have the automatic tracking traveling function, the hazard lamp 27 can be automatically turned on only by performing a sudden braking operation. The dangerous situation ahead can be transmitted to the following vehicle without any special operation.

It should be noted that the fact that the sudden deceleration exceeding a certain reference has been performed can also be determined based on the fact that the acceleration detecting section 14 has detected a deceleration exceeding a certain value. FIG.
9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the main control unit 15 recognizes a white line on the road based on the image captured by the image capturing device 30, checks the positional relationship between the recognized white line and the own vehicle 200, and A function is provided for determining whether the vehicle 200 is traveling correctly in the lane. Such a function itself is known, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

When the host vehicle 200 departs from the lane, the main control unit 15 activates the warning generation unit 22 to vibrate the steering wheel, thereby giving a warning to the driver. Whether the lane departure is based on the driver's intention is determined based on the output of the turn signal operation detecting unit 35 (see FIG. 1) connected to the main control unit 15. The direction indicator operation detecting unit 35 is configured to detect whether the direction indicator of the own vehicle 200 is in an operating state or a non-operating state, and to provide an output signal corresponding to the detection result to the main control unit 15. ing.

The operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the tracking mode is set by the tracking start switch 21, the main control unit 15 recognizes a white line in the image captured by the imaging device 30 (Step C1). Based on this, the main control unit 15
It is determined whether 00 has deviated from the lane (step C2).

When it is determined that the host vehicle 200 has deviated from the lane, the main control unit 15 sets the direction indicator operation detection unit 35
It is determined whether or not the turn signal is operating with reference to the output signal of step C3 (step C3). If the turn signal is not in operation, it is determined that the lane departure is not due to the driver's intention, and the warning generator 22 is activated (step C4). If it is determined that the direction indicator is operating (YES in step C3), the process in step C4 is omitted, and the warning generation unit 22 is not operated. That is, it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the lane due to the driver's intention due to a lane change or the like, and the generation of a warning is prohibited.

In step C2, the host vehicle 20
When it is determined that 0 does not deviate from the lane, the processing of steps C3 and C4 is omitted, and the warning generation unit 22 is not operated. As described above, according to this embodiment, the own vehicle 20 is controlled based on the operation state of the turn signal.
It is determined whether the departure from the zero lane is due to the driver's intention, and in the case of the lane departure due to the driver's intention, generation of a warning is prohibited. Therefore, only when the vehicle deviates from the lane contrary to the driver's intention, the steering wheel is vibrated and the driver is warned. This will allow the warning to occur properly,
There is no discomfort to the driver and no loss of safety.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, steps in which processing equivalent to the above-described steps shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals as in the case of are used. Also, in the description of this embodiment, the above-described FIG. 1 will be referred to. The feature of this embodiment is that, in step C2, the host vehicle 20
When it is determined that 0 deviates from the lane, there is a method of step D11 for determining whether or not the lane departure is due to the driver's intention.

That is, in this embodiment, the steering torque applied to the steering wheel is detected by the torque sensor 40 (see FIG. 1) provided in association with the electric power steering device 16, and the detected steering torque value is calculated. Utilizing this (step D10), it is determined whether or not the driver has deviated from the lane, that is, whether or not the lane has been changed. The torque sensor 40 detects an effective torque not only when changing lanes, but also when traveling on a curve. Therefore, in order to determine whether the lane departure is due to the driver intending to change lanes, a torque sensor is used to determine whether the purpose of steering is to drive on a curve or to change lanes. It is necessary to make a determination based on the torque information given from the controller 40.

[0045] First, the "urgency of steering" accompanying the course change for changing lanes will be described. For example,
In the case where an obstacle is present ahead and the obstacle is avoided, the urgency of steering is generally higher than in the case of other course changes. When changing lanes, the relationship between the urgency level of steering and the amount of change in steering torque within the set time from the start of steering (corresponding to the first derivative of the time of steering torque) is determined by the electric power steering device. It was determined by an experiment using a equipped vehicle. FIG. 6 shows the results of the experiment.

The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 shows the time (seconds) required to move the first lm when changing lanes 3.5 m in the horizontal direction at a vehicle speed of 50 km / h. The shorter the time, the higher the urgency level. The vertical axis in FIG. 6 indicates a change amount (N · m) of the steering torque detected by the torque sensor 40 during a set time (0.1 second) from the start of steering.
Is shown. This steering torque changes before the turning angle of the wheel actually changes. As described below, the set time is set within a range where the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of the steering and the urgency level of the steering can be associated with each other when standard steering is performed. It is preferable to set it as short as possible.

In FIG. 6, the data of the experimental results are shown in FIG.
"●" and "△" are plotted. Data a to v indicated by “●” indicate the results of performing standard steering.
Data [alpha] to [epsilon] indicated by "[Delta]" indicate the results of irregular steering. Here, the standard steering refers to a steering that is performed naturally without intentionally changing the speed of the steering from the start to the end of the lane change. Further, irregular steering refers to steering performed by intentionally changing the steering speed at the beginning of the lane change.

From the standard steering data a to v shown in FIG. 6, when the standard steering is performed when the lane is changed, the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of the steering and the urgency level of the steering And that there is a corresponding relationship.
In this experiment, the steering urgency level is classified into four levels. That is, the data a to g are “urgent” having the highest urgency level, the data h and i are “quick” having the second highest urgency level, and the data j to s are “urgent” having the third highest urgency level. The data t to v are classified as "normal" at the boundary between "normal" and "slow" having the lowest urgency level.

On the other hand, the irregular steering data α to ε shown in FIG.
Thus, when irregular steering is performed at the time of lane change, it can be confirmed that there is no correspondence between the urgency level of steering and the amount of change in steering torque within a set time from the start of steering. In other words, α in the data should be classified as “quick” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, but sharp steering is intentionally performed only immediately after the start of the lane change. , Is classified as "emergency" based on the amount of change in the steering torque within a set time from the start of steering.

The data β should be classified as “quick” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, but intentionally at a normal speed only immediately after the start of the lane change. Therefore, the steering torque is classified as “normal” from the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of the steering. The data γ and δ are “normal” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for changing lanes.
Although it should be classified as `` quick '' from the amount of change in steering torque within the set time from the start of steering, since intentionally relatively quick steering is performed only immediately after the start of lane change ing.

The data ε should be classified as “normal” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, but the steering is intentionally relatively gentle only immediately after the start of the lane change. Therefore, the steering torque is classified into the boundary between “normal” and “slow” based on the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of steering. Next, when changing lanes, the urgency level of the steering and the change acceleration of the steering torque at the lapse of a set time (0.1 seconds) from the start of the steering (corresponding to the second derivative of the steering torque time) Was determined by an experiment using a vehicle equipped with an electric power steering device. FIG. 7 shows the results of the experiment. Each data of the experimental result of FIG. 7 corresponds to each data of the experimental result of FIG.

The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 shows the time required to travel the first 1 m when changing lanes 3.5 m in the lateral direction at a vehicle speed of 50 km / h. The vertical axis in FIG. 7 indicates the change acceleration (N · m / s ² ) of the steering torque at the time when 0.1 second has elapsed from the start of the steering. In FIG. 7, the results of the experimental results are plotted with "●" for the results of standard steering as in FIG. 6, and the results of irregular steering are plotted with "△". Symbols a to v, α
.Epsilon. Corresponds to the data code in FIG.

From the standard steering data a to v shown in FIG. 7, when standard steering is performed at the time of lane change, there is a correspondence between the steering urgency level and the steering torque change acceleration. You can confirm that. That is, the data a to g are “emergency” having the highest urgency level, and the data h and i are 2
The second most urgent level, "quick",
s is the third highest urgency level “normal” and the data t
Ｖv are classified as boundaries between “normal” and “slow” having the lowest urgency level. The change acceleration at the boundary between the urgency level “normal” and “slow” is set to zero.

On the other hand, the irregular steering data α to ε shown in FIG.
Therefore, if irregular steering is performed at the time of lane change, the urgency level of steering and the change acceleration of the steering torque are
It can be confirmed that they do not always correspond. That is, the data α should be classified as “quick” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, but since the steering is intentionally performed only immediately after the start of the lane change, The urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration is classified into a boundary between “quick” and “normal”. In this data α, since the urgency level corresponding to the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of steering is classified as “urgent,” the degree of the urgency level corresponds to the acceleration of the change in the steering torque. Emergency level is lower.

The data β should be classified as "quick" from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, and intentionally at a normal speed only immediately after the start of the lane change. Steering is performed, and the urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration of the steering torque is classified as “quick”. In the data β, the urgency level corresponding to the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of steering is classified as “normal”, and the degree of the urgency level corresponds to the acceleration of the change in the steering torque. Urgency level is higher.

Although the data γ and δ should be classified as “normal” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, the data γ and δ are relatively quick only intentionally immediately after the start of the lane change. Since the steering is performed, the urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration of the steering torque is classified near the boundary between “normal” and “quick”. In these data γ and δ, the urgency level corresponding to the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of steering is classified as “quick”, and the degree of the urgency level is determined by the change acceleration of the steering torque. The urgency level corresponding to is lower.

The data ε should be classified as “normal” from the urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change, and intentionally perform relatively gentle steering only immediately after the start of the lane change. However, the urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration of the steering torque is also classified as “normal”. In the data ε, the urgency level corresponding to the change amount of the steering torque within the set time from the start of the steering is classified into the boundary between “normal” and “slow”. The urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration of the steering torque is higher.

Next, for data k, o, n, ε, r, t, u, and v whose urgency level corresponding to the change acceleration of the steering torque is close to the boundary between “normal” and “slow”, In consideration of the change speed of the change acceleration (the differential value of the change acceleration of the steering torque with respect to the time), the set time (0.1.
(4 seconds) The steering torque at the time point was calculated. The further set time is determined for each data k, o, n, ε, r, t, u, v
It is preferable to set the urgency level as short as possible within a range in which the difference between the urgency levels can be identified as follows.

When the calculation result is compared with the steering torque at the lapse of 0.1 second from the start of steering, data k, o, n, ε having a high urgency level corresponding to the time required for changing lanes.
7, the steering torque increases as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7, and the data r, t, u, and v of the low urgency level corresponding to the time required for the lane change are controlled by the steering as indicated by the arrow in FIG. The torque decreases.

That is, when the steering urgency level is at or near the boundary between the two urgency levels, when the steering torque at the elapse of the set time from the start of steering increases thereafter, it becomes more urgent than when it decreases. Degree level is high. The region near the boundary of the steering urgency level where this relationship is established is defined as the vicinity of the boundary of the urgency level, and the range from the specific boundary can be obtained by an experiment.

Next, when entering a curve, the amount of change in the steering torque within a set time from the start of steering,
The relationship between the change in the steering torque and the acceleration after the lapse of the set time was obtained by an experiment using a vehicle equipped with an electric power steering device. FIG. 8 shows the results of the experiment.
The horizontal axis in FIG. 8 indicates a case where the vehicle has passed a curve with a constant turning radius without deceleration at a vehicle speed of 50 km / hour.
The change amount (N · m) of the steering torque during 0.1 seconds from the start of steering for entering the curve is shown. The vertical axis is
The change acceleration (10 N · m / s ² ) of the steering torque at the elapse of the set time (0.1 seconds) from the start of the steering is shown.

In FIG. 8, the data of the experimental results at the time of entering the curve are plotted with “●” and “□”.
The data indicated by “●” indicates the result of performing standard steering. The data indicated by “□” indicates the result of irregular steering. Here, the standard steering refers to steering that is performed naturally without intentionally changing the steering speed when entering a curve. In addition, irregular steering refers to steering that intentionally speeds up steering when entering a curve.

FIG. 8 also shows the relationship between the amount of change in steering torque within a set time from the start of steering and the acceleration of change in steering torque at the elapse of the set time when the lane is changed. Was. As the data when the lane change is performed, "○" indicates that the urgency level of the steering is classified as "normal", and "△" indicates that the emergency level is classified as "normal" and "slow". Indicated by

From the standard steering data shown in FIG. 8, it can be confirmed that when standard steering is performed at the time of entering a curve, the change acceleration of the steering torque becomes substantially zero or less.
This is because, when trying to follow the lane faithfully at the beginning of the curve, the driver tries to keep the steering speed constant or performs corrective steering to reduce the steering speed when the steering angle becomes excessive. Therefore, the substantially zero value of the change acceleration of the steering torque becomes a threshold value for determining whether or not the steering purpose is going into a curve, and the threshold value can be experimentally set in advance.

The data of the curve entry by the standard steering is based on the amount of change of the steering torque and the acceleration of the change of the steering torque. Is smaller than the boundary, and the change acceleration is indistinguishable from data having a threshold value of substantially zero or less. Then, the value of the change acceleration of the steering torque after the elapse of the set time (0.1 second) after that was obtained. Was. The set time in this case is set as short as possible within a range in which it is possible to distinguish between entering a curve or changing lanes.

On the other hand, based on the irregular steering data shown in FIG. 8, when the irregular steering is performed when entering the curve, that is, when the steering wheel is intentionally sharply turned at the beginning of the steering, the steering It can be confirmed that the torque change acceleration becomes larger than the substantially zero threshold value. The curve entry data due to the irregular steering is based on the amount of change in the steering torque and the acceleration of the change in the steering torque.
It cannot be distinguished from a change acceleration exceeding a substantially zero threshold.

Then, when the increase / decrease of the change acceleration of the steering torque during the subsequent set time is obtained, it is found that the change does not decrease in the case of the lane change but decreases in the case of entering the curve. This is because if the steering wheel is intentionally sharply turned in the case of entering a curve, the course correction steering is required thereafter. The set time in this case is set as short as possible within a range in which it is possible to distinguish between entering a curve or changing lanes.

As described above, the amount of change in the steering torque within the set time from the start of the steering, the acceleration of the change in the steering torque at the elapse of the set time, and the change in the steering torque at the elapse of the set time from the start of the steering within the set time thereafter Increase or decrease, and
The purpose of the steering can be determined based on the increase or decrease in the change acceleration of the steering torque within the set time thereafter. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining whether the purpose of steering is to change lanes or enter a curve. First, the main control unit 15 calculates the difference between the steering torque at the start of steering and the steering torque at the lapse of the set time from the steering torque read in time series from the torque sensor 40, thereby obtaining the change amount of the steering torque. Is calculated, and a change acceleration corresponding to the second-order differential value of the steering torque at the time when the set time has elapsed is calculated (step S1).

Next, it is determined whether the change acceleration of the steering torque is equal to or less than a substantially zero threshold value (step S2). If the change acceleration of the steering torque is equal to or less than the threshold value, the change acceleration of the steering torque within the subsequent set time (for example, 0.1 second) is calculated as The calculation is performed based on the change speed of the change acceleration, and it is determined whether or not the subsequent change acceleration decreases (step S).
3) If it decreases, it is determined that the purpose of the steering is to change lanes (step S4), and if it does not decrease, it is determined that the purpose of the steering is to enter a curve (step S5).

If the change acceleration of the steering torque is not equal to or smaller than the threshold value, it is determined whether the change acceleration decreases within a subsequent set time (for example, 0.1 second) (step S6). If it decreases, it is determined that the purpose of the steering is to enter a curve (step S5). If not reduced, it is determined that the purpose of the steering is to change lanes (step S4). Next, it is determined whether the steering is a course correction steering (step S7). For example, if the change due to steering to the left or right within the set time of the steering torque exceeds the set value, and then the change due to steering to the left or right within the set time of the steering torque exceeds the set value, Is determined to be the course correction steering. Alternatively, the steering torque is integrated by the main control unit 15 at regular time intervals, and the integrated value is changed after the integrated value changes due to steering to the left or right within a set time beyond the set value. If the change due to the steering to the left or right within the set time exceeds the set value, it is determined that the steering is the course correction steering.

This is based on the fact that it is possible to determine whether or not the purpose of the steering is the course correction steering based on the time change pattern of the steering torque. For example, (1) of FIG. 10 shows a time change pattern of the steering torque To when changing lanes, and the pattern is a substantially sinusoidal curve. In this case, the time point P1 at which the steering torque To starts to decrease due to the leftward steering after the lane change to the right is the start point of the course correction steering. (2) of FIG. 10 shows a time change pattern of the steering torque To when passing through the curve. In this case, the time point P2 at which the steering torque To starts decreasing by steering to the left after entering the right-turn curve is the start time point of the course correction steering. In any case, after the change in the steering torque for steering to the left or right occurs, the time points P1 and P2 at which the change in the steering torque for steering to the other side occurs.
Is the start time of the course correction steering. The above determination is based on recognition of the start time of the course correction steering.

When it is determined that the purpose of the steering is to change lanes through such processing, the process proceeds to step D1 in FIG.
The judgment of 1 is affirmed. As described above, according to this embodiment, based on the change acceleration that is the second-order differential value of the steering torque and the time change of the change acceleration, it is determined whether the purpose of the steering is to enter a curve or to change lanes. Since the detection can be reliably performed, the warning can be appropriately generated, and as a result, the safety can be improved.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is characterized in that it detects that the vehicle 200 has deviated from the lane regardless of the presence or absence of a white line on the road, and activates the warning generation unit 22 in response to the detection. are doing.

That is, when the tracking mode is set by the tracking start switch 21, the preceding vehicle 10 is controlled based on the image captured by the image capturing device 30.
0 is image-recognized (step E1). Next, based on the output of the steering angle sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) provided in connection with the electric power steering device 16, it is determined whether the steering wheel is operated, that is, whether the steering is performed. (Step E2).

The steering angle sensor 45 detects the steering angle of the steering mechanism. Based on the output of the steering angle sensor 45, the main control unit 15 performs a steering operation at a certain angle (for example, about 3 degrees) or more from the steering angle midpoint (corresponding to a straight traveling state) to the left or right. It is determined that steering is being performed. When it is determined that the steering is being performed, the main control unit 15 determines whether or not the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle 100 and the own vehicle 200 whose image has been recognized has changed significantly (step E3).

The tracking mode is usually specified on a monotonous road such as an expressway, so that when the preceding vehicle 100 traveling in the same lane is within the field of view of the image pickup device 30, this The image of the vehicle 100 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), it is located at a substantially constant position (for example, substantially at the center) of the captured image. On the contrary,
When the preceding vehicle 100 or the own vehicle 200 changes the course, the image of the preceding vehicle 100 shifts from the above-mentioned fixed position, as shown in FIG.

However, in step E3, the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle 100 and the host vehicle 200 is checked.
In step E2, it is only when it is determined that steering is being performed in the own vehicle 200. Therefore, in step E3, if it is determined that there is a large change in the positional relationship, this is due to the steering of the own vehicle 200. Can be inferred.

If it is determined in step E3 that the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle 100 and the host vehicle 200 has changed significantly, the main control unit 15 activates the warning generation unit 22 (step E4) to change the lane. Notify the driver that the vehicle may have deviated. If there is no significant change in the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle 100 and the own vehicle 200 (N in step E3)
O), assuming that the preceding vehicle 100 is being tracked favorably, the processing in step E4 is omitted. That is, no warning is issued.

If it is determined in step E2 that the vehicle is not substantially steered, the preceding vehicle 10
No warning is issued regardless of the presence or absence of a change in the positional relationship between 0 and the own vehicle 200. Thereby, the preceding vehicle 100 and the own vehicle 2
If the positional relationship with 00 greatly changes, the generation of a warning is prohibited.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even if there is no white line on the road, based on the change in the positional relationship between the preceding vehicle 100 and the own vehicle 200, whether the own vehicle 200 is correctly traveling in the lane is determined. Can be detected, and an alarm can be generated when the vehicle deviates from the lane. If this embodiment is combined with the above-described third or fourth embodiment, it is possible to prohibit the generation of a warning when the course is changed by the driver's intention. Thereby, the driver does not feel uncomfortable, and the safety can be further improved.

Although the five embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various design changes may be made within the scope of the claims. Can be applied. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which steering and acceleration / deceleration can be automatically controlled by inter-vehicle communication has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which only acceleration / deceleration is automatically controlled and only the inter-vehicle distance is maintained. The invention can be applied. Information for automatic control does not necessarily have to be acquired by inter-vehicle communication.
Based on the inter-vehicle distance detected by 3 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 13, autonomous acceleration / deceleration may be autonomously controlled to track another vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a vehicle control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a vehicle control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a correlation between a time change amount of a steering torque and an urgency of steering.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a correlation between a change acceleration of a steering torque and an urgency of steering.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a correlation between a change amount of the steering torque and a change acceleration of the steering torque.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining a steering purpose.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a time change pattern of a steering torque when changing lanes and when entering a curve.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a vehicle control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by an imaging device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 preceding vehicle 200 own vehicle 1 position detection unit 2 vehicle speed sensor 3 transmitter 4 control unit 6 brake lamp 7 hazard lamp 11 communication unit 12 position detection unit 13 vehicle speed sensor 14 acceleration detection unit 15 main control unit 16 electric power steering device 17 steering Control unit 18 Throttle actuator 19 Brake actuator 20 Acceleration / deceleration control unit 21 Tracking start switch 22 Warning generation unit 23 Laser radar 24 Brake pedal switch 26 Brake lamp 27 Hazard lamp 30 Imaging device 35 Direction indicator operation detection unit 40 Torque sensor 45 Steering angle Sensor

Claims (6)

[Claims] An image pickup device for picking up an image of the front of the host vehicle; alarm light detecting means for detecting the lighting of a warning light of a preceding vehicle by using an image picked up by the image pickup device; A warning light lighting control means for lighting the warning light of the own vehicle in response to detecting the lighting of the warning light of the preceding vehicle. 2. A rapid deceleration detecting means for detecting that the vehicle has decelerated more rapidly than a predetermined reference, and responding to the detection of the rapid deceleration exceeding the reference by the rapid deceleration detecting means. And a warning light lighting control means for lighting the warning light. 3. A lane departure detecting means for detecting that the own vehicle has deviated from the lane, and a warning is generated in response to the detection of the departure of the own vehicle from the lane by the lane departure detecting means. Warning generating means, driver intention determining means for determining whether or not the departure of the own vehicle from the lane is due to the driver's intention, and detection of the departure of the own vehicle from the lane by the lane departure detecting means When the driver intention determining means determines that the deviation from the lane is due to the driver's intention, the method further includes warning prohibiting means for prohibiting generation of a warning by the warning generating means. Characteristic vehicle control device. 4. A driver's intention judging means comprising: a direction indicator operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of a direction indicator of the own vehicle; and a lane departure detecting means detecting that the own vehicle has deviated from a lane. When the turn signal operation detecting means detects that the turn signal is in operation, it is determined that the deviation from the lane is due to the driver's intention. 4. The control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the control device includes: 5. The driver's intention determining means includes: a steering torque detecting means for detecting a steering torque; and a second order differential value of the steering torque detected by the steering torque detecting means. 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, further comprising a steering purpose determination means for determining a purpose. 6. An image pickup device for picking up an image in front of a host vehicle, and detecting, based on the image picked up by the image pickup device, a change in a positional relationship between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle that exceeds a certain standard. A positional relationship change detecting means for detecting, a steering detecting means for detecting whether or not the own vehicle is being steered, and a positional relationship change exceeding the predetermined reference is detected by the positional relationship change detecting means; and And a lane departure judging means for judging that the own vehicle has deviated from the lane when the steering of the own vehicle is detected by the steering detecting means.