JP2000118261A - Congestion follow-up system and vehicle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the operation of a driver, and to simplify a structure in a constitution where follow-up treatment is executed under the condition of the switching operation of the driver. SOLUTION: A follow-up controller 10 controls an electronic throttle 16 and a brake 18 based on the detecting signal of a car-to-car distance sensor 14, and performs follow-up treatment to cause an own vehicle to follow up a preceding vehicle. This follow-up treatment is carried out under the condition of depressing operation of an accelerator pedal 22. Because of accelerator depressing, an operation for instructing follow-up execution is facilitated. In a congestion follow-up mode, since the accelerator pedal 22 is effectively used, which is unnecessary originally, a structure is simplified. Further, driving is further facilitated by switching between a semiautomatic follow-up mode needing an accelerator operation and a full-automatic mode not needing the accelerator operation according the current position of the vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic congestion tracking device and a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a device for executing a tracking process on the condition of a driver's instruction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A congestion follow-up device for following a preceding vehicle on a congested road is well known. A general traffic jam follower is
It has a function of detecting an inter-vehicle distance and a function of adjusting the inter-vehicle distance, and performs a follow-up process of adjusting the inter-vehicle distance with a preceding vehicle to an appropriate value.

It is conceivable that the congestion follow-up device completely automates the follow-up process. In this case, even if the driver does nothing, the own vehicle automatically starts moving when the preceding vehicle advances (fully automatic). However, complete automation is not always preferred, but rather a process that reflects the driver's will may be preferred.

In view of this point, it is conceivable to provide a switch operated by a driver and perform a follow-up process on the condition that the switch is operated (semi-automatic). With this configuration, the follow-up processing is not performed immediately even if the preceding vehicle advances. When the driver performs a switch operation, a follow-up process is performed, and the inter-vehicle distance is reduced. An apparatus of this type is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-68126.

[0005]

Problems to be solved by the invention (1) However,
In the conventional semi-automatic following, a switch for instructing the driver to proceed is a manually operated switch. Providing a new switch means forcing the driver to perform a new operation completely different from other driving operations. The driver must then operate the switch with his / her hand each time the preceding vehicle moves. As a practical matter, such an operation is very troublesome for the driver.

(2) In addition, semi-automatic follow-up
There is an advantage that the intention of the driver can be reflected. But,
It is not always good to reflect the driver's will in every part of the road. Rather, in reality, there are quite a few situations in which the vehicle can be left to drive. Imposing a switch operation on the driver even in such a situation may result in an unnecessary burden on the driver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a traffic congestion tracking device and a vehicle control device that allow a driver to instruct the execution of the following by an easy operation.

[0008]

(1) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a vehicle which, when a congestion follow-up mode in which a vehicle follows a preceding vehicle on a congested road is set, a driver sets a progress switch. In a traffic congestion tracking device that performs a process of following a preceding vehicle on the condition that the operation is performed, an accelerator pedal functions as the traveling switch while the traffic jam following mode is set.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the traffic jam following mode, the acceleration instruction function of the accelerator pedal is suppressed, and the accelerator pedal has a following instruction function as a traveling switch. Therefore, the driver does not need to manually operate the new switch, and can easily instruct the execution of the following by depressing the accelerator pedal. Originally, the driver uses the accelerator pedal, which controls the traveling operation of the vehicle, as an operation system for controlling the traveling operation of the vehicle in the congestion following mode, so that the driver can follow the congestion without feeling a new operation. Modes (devices) can be easily used. Further, in the traffic jam following mode, by effectively utilizing an accelerator pedal which is originally unnecessary, it is possible to obtain an advantage that a new progress switch is not required and the configuration is simplified.

[0010] Preferably, the operation of the accelerator pedal is determined based on the detection signal of the accelerator pedal sensor. By using the existing accelerator pedal sensor, it is determined whether or not the driver has instructed the execution of the follow-up, so that the cost can be reduced.

(2) Preferably, current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle is provided. Then, the semi-automatic tracking mode and the fully automatic tracking mode are switched according to the detected current position. In the present invention, the semi-automatic follow-up mode is a mode in which the follow-up process is executed on condition that the operation of the progress switch is performed. The fully automatic following mode is a mode in which the following process is automatically executed without using the operation of the progress switch as an execution condition.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the fully automatic follow-up operation is performed in a place where the follow-up processing can be performed properly without confirming the driver's switch operation, so that the burden on the driver is reduced, and the operation is made easier. Can be easier.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows an outline of a traffic jam follower according to the present invention. The tracking control unit 10 sets a traffic jam tracking mode and performs a tracking process during the mode setting. A manual operation type traffic jam mode switch 12 is connected to the following control unit 10. Driver 12
Is turned on, the traffic jam following mode is set.

An inter-vehicle distance sensor 14 detects an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle and a relative vehicle speed, and sends them to the control unit 10. The electronic throttle 16 adjusts the amount of intake air of the engine, and the brake 18 generates a braking force. Control unit 10
Controls the electronic throttle 16 and the brake 18 based on the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed, and performs a following process for adjusting the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle.

Further, an accelerator position sensor 20 is connected to the follow-up control unit 10. The sensor 20 detects the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal 22 by the driver, and outputs a detection signal to the follow-up control unit 10. As a feature of the present embodiment, the following process is executed on condition that the accelerator pedal 22 is depressed, as described later.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a preferred configuration when the above-described traffic jam follower is integrally provided in a vehicle control device. The tracking control unit 10 is integrated with the engine ECU 30. In the electronic throttle 16, a throttle actuator 16a opens and closes a throttle valve 16b according to a control signal from the engine ECU 30. In the brake 18, the engine ECU 30 sends a control signal to the brake ECU 18a, and the brake ECU 18a operates the disk brake 18c using the brake actuator 18b. In addition, the brake pedal force sensor 32 detects the pedaling force of the brake pedal 34 and sends it to the brake ECU 18a and the engine ECU 30 (control unit 10).

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the accelerator pedal is of a by-wire type. That is, the accelerator pedal 22 and the electronic throttle 16 are not mechanically connected by a cable or the like. The operation of the accelerator pedal 22 is detected electrically, and an electric signal is sent to the electronic throttle 16. The same applies to the brake device.
4 is electrically detected, and the brake ECU 18a sends an electric signal to operate the brake actuator 18b.

Here, the accelerator pedal 22 is originally used by the driver to instruct the vehicle to accelerate. The accelerator operation information detected by the accelerator position sensor 20 is normally used by the engine control unit 30a.

However, in the traffic jam following mode, it is not necessary to adjust the vehicle speed according to the driver's accelerator operation. Therefore, the acceleration instruction function of the accelerator pedal 22 is suppressed, and the accelerator pedal 22 is used as a switch for instructing the driver to follow. That is, the detection signal of the accelerator position sensor 20 is ignored by the engine control unit 30a and used by the follow-up control unit 10.

Next, the operation of the tracking control device will be described. FIG. 3 shows a control flow of the tracking control unit 10.
First, it is determined whether or not the congestion mode switch 12 has been turned ON by the driver, that is, whether or not the congestion following mode has been set (S10). Switch on
In this case, the inter-vehicle distance L and the relative speed (detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 14) between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle are input (S12). Next, the tracking control unit 10 sets the tracking flag to O
It is determined whether or not N (1) (S14).

If the follow-up flag is OFF (0), it is determined whether or not the accelerator pedal 22 has been turned ON based on the detection signal of the accelerator position sensor 20 (S1).
6). This ON operation is an operation in which the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 22 like a switch. The ON operation is different from an accelerator work for adjusting an accelerator stroke for normal acceleration adjustment. The ON operation is an operation of stepping on a predetermined stroke (a relatively small value) or more. The driver may depress and immediately release the pedal, or may continue to depress. When the pedal is depressed, it is determined that the ON operation has been performed.

When the ON operation of the pedal is performed, the control section 10 sets a follow-up flag to ON (1) (S18).
Execute the tracking process. In S20, speed control using the map of FIG. 4 is performed. That is, the target relative speed is obtained from the inter-vehicle distance L using the map of FIG. And
The electronic throttle 16 is adjusted so that the target relative speed is achieved.
And the brake 18 are controlled. Preferably, an absolute vehicle speed (acceleration / deceleration) for obtaining the target relative vehicle speed is calculated,
In order to obtain the absolute vehicle speed, throttle opening / closing control of the engine is performed.

The inter-vehicle distance L is equal to the lower limit set value Lmin.
It is determined whether it is less than (S22), and if NO, the process returns to S12. Since the following flag is set to ON, the vehicle speed control according to the map in FIG. 4 is performed until the following distance L falls below the lower limit set value Lmin. If the determination in S22 is YES, the tracking flag is turned off (0) (S24), and the tracking process ends.

When using the traffic jam follower of the present embodiment, the driver presses the traffic jam mode switch 12 on a traffic jam road. As a result, the traffic jam following mode is set. During the mode setting, even if the preceding vehicle advances, if the driver does nothing, the own vehicle does not advance and stops. When the preceding vehicle leaves, the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 22 as if by a switch.
In response to the pedal operation, the control unit 10 performs a following process. First, the electronic throttle 16 is controlled such that the brake 18 is released and a relative speed corresponding to the current inter-vehicle distance L is generated. The required relative speed is obtained from the map of FIG.

According to the map shown in FIG.
Using the brake 18 and the vehicle speed, a vehicle speed corresponding to the following distance L is given. Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance L is gradually reduced. When the inter-vehicle distance L reaches the lower limit threshold Lmin, the relative vehicle speed becomes zero. At this time, if the preceding vehicle is moving, the own vehicle advances at the same speed. On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle has already stopped, the own vehicle also stops. Therefore, the control unit 1
The brake 18 is applied by an instruction of 0. If the preceding vehicle starts moving, the following process is performed again on condition that the accelerator is depressed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the driver
The accelerator pedal 22 may be depressed to instruct the execution of the following. In the normal mode, the accelerator pedal 22 is used for starting the vehicle and adjusting the acceleration after the start. But,
In the traffic jam following mode, the accelerator pedal 22 is operated like a switch. In response, the vehicle automatically moves,
Stop approaching the vehicle in front.

Such an operation is very easy and simple for the driver. This is because instead of the usual delicate accelerator work, a simplified pedal operation similar to that can be performed. If you step on the pedal as if you were only instructing to start, the vehicle would follow the vehicle in front. There is no need for troublesome work such as manually operating a newly provided follow-up instruction switch.

The advantages described above are achieved by effectively utilizing the accelerator pedal 22 which is originally unnecessary in the traffic jam following mode. This is because the driver does not use the accelerator to adjust the vehicle speed in the traffic jam following mode. By effectively utilizing the accelerator pedal 22, a new switch is not required and cost can be reduced. Further, by using the existing accelerator pedal sensor, the configuration is simple and the present invention can be realized at low cost.

The present embodiment includes the following example,
Of course, any modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

(1) The inter-vehicle distance sensor may be of any type, and may be a radar or a camera. When using a camera, it is preferable to detect the inter-vehicle distance by image processing.

(2) In this embodiment, the function of adjusting the distance between vehicles is performed by controlling the electronic throttle and the brake. However, it is of course possible to adopt another configuration for adjusting the inter-vehicle distance. For example, a transmission may be used in addition to the above components.

(3) The present invention is applied to an electric vehicle, and the prime mover may be an electric motor instead of an engine. In this case, the output torque of the electric motor is controlled. Further, the present invention may be applied to a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and an electric motor.

(4) In this embodiment, the traffic jam following mode is set manually by the driver using the traffic jam mode switch 12. However, the traffic jam following mode may be set automatically. In this case, the vehicle information (sensor information,
Traffic congestion may be automatically determined using information from various ECUs. In addition, traffic jam may be automatically determined using a communication device with the outside.

(5) In this embodiment, the accelerator device is of the by-wire type, but the present invention is not limited to this. If the accelerator pedal is mechanically connected to the throttle valve, the pedal moves even in the traffic jam following mode. However, if a pedal stroke larger than the pedal stroke caused by the control on the vehicle side occurs, it is determined that the driver has depressed the pedal. In short, any configuration can be adopted as long as the depression of the pedal by the driver can be detected.

(6) In this embodiment, the accelerator operation amount is obtained from the detection signal of the accelerator position sensor. However, the follow-up processing does not require information on the accelerator operation amount, and only needs to know ON / OFF of the accelerator pedal. Therefore, a sensor that detects only ON / OFF may be applied. When an ON / OFF sensor and a pedal stroke sensor are provided, either one of the sensors may be used, or both sensors may be used.

(7) A device that performs follow-up control during normal traveling rather than on a congested road is well known (Adaptive Cruise Control).
l). This type of tracking device also performs a tracking process based on the following distance. The present invention can be suitably applied to a tracking device having a traffic jam tracking function in addition to a tracking function during normal running.

[Embodiment 2] Next, the second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the semi-automatic following process (the process of the first embodiment) and the fully automatic following process are switched according to the current position of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of the traffic congestion follower of this embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, a current position determination unit 50 is further connected to the follow-up control unit 10, and the current position determination unit 50 includes a current position detection unit 52 and a map storage unit 54.
Is connected.

The current position detector 52 detects the current position of the vehicle. For example, the current position detection unit 50 includes a GPS (global positioning system) receiver, and calculates the current position by radio navigation received from an artificial satellite by satellite navigation. Further, the current position may be obtained by autonomous navigation using a gyro sensor or the like. Further, satellite navigation and autonomous navigation may be used together. Further, map matching may be performed using the map data in the map storage unit 54. Other arbitrary current position detecting means (methods) are applicable to the present invention.

The map storage unit 54 stores a nationwide road map, and therefore also stores information such as the type of road, the location of intersections and railroad crossings. The map storage unit 54 may include a medium (CD-ROM, DVD, or the like) on which map data is written, or may be a hard disk device or the like.

Based on the current position of the vehicle and the map data, the current position determination unit 50 determines whether the current position is a “place where full automatic tracking should be performed” or a “place where semi-automatic tracking should be performed”. A determination is made, and the determination result is sent to the tracking control unit 10. In fact, it is considered that there is no problem even if a vehicle is left to drive on a highway, for example.

In the example of this embodiment, the current position is an intersection,
If the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a railroad crossing, junction, junction, bridge, or similar predetermined point, it is determined that "semi-automatic tracking is appropriate." Is an appropriate position. " The predetermined criterion distance is, for example, 100 m. 10 before the intersection
When it reaches 0 m, it is determined that semi-automatic tracking is necessary.

It is preferable that the functions of the current position determination unit 50, the current position detection unit 52, and the map storage unit 54 are provided in the on-vehicle navigation device, and the device of the present invention can be realized more easily. In this case, the navigation device E
The CU determines the current position and outputs a result of the determination to the following control unit 10 (the engine ECU 30 in FIG. 2).

The follow-up processing section 10 sets a semi-automatic or fully automatic follow-up mode according to the determination result sent from the current position determination section 50. That is, when the host vehicle is near an intersection or the like, the semi-automatic following mode is set, and otherwise, the fully automatic following mode is set. However, as a precondition, the mode switching (the function of the control unit 10 as the mode switching unit) is performed when the traffic jam following mode is set. Then, the tracking processing unit 10 operates according to the set mode.

In addition, although not shown in the apparatus of FIG. 5, an input means such as a switch for allowing the driver to select one of the semi-automatic following mode and the fully automatic following mode may be added. When the selection operation is performed, the mode switching control is suppressed, and the mode selected by the driver is fixedly set.

Next, the operation of the tracking control device will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, first, it is determined whether or not the congestion mode switch 12 has been turned ON by the driver (S30). When the switch is ON, it is determined whether or not the semi-automatic following mode is set (S
32). If S32 is YES, the process proceeds to S34 to perform the processing in the semi-automatic following mode. This processing is performed in steps S12 to S12 in FIG.
This is the same as the processing in S24, and the description here is omitted.
If S32 is NO, the full-automatic follow-up mode has been set, so the process proceeds to S36, and the corresponding processing is performed.

FIG. 7 shows a tracking process in the fully automatic tracking mode. This processing is basically the same as the processing in the semi-automatic following mode. However, as a difference, in S46, it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance L is equal to or greater than an upper limit set value (threshold) Lmax. Lmax is shown in the speed control map of FIG. If L ≧ Lmax, a follow-up flag is set in S48, and the follow-up processing according to the map in FIG. 8 is executed.

Therefore, in the fully automatic following mode, the accelerator operation by the driver is not a following execution condition. When the preceding vehicle moves and the inter-vehicle distance L reaches Lmax, the following process is automatically performed, and the own vehicle starts to move and gradually approaches the preceding vehicle. Then, the preceding vehicle stops and the following distance L
Becomes lower limit set value Lmin, the own vehicle also stops.

When using the traffic jam follower of the present embodiment, the driver presses the traffic jam mode switch 12 on a traffic jam road. As a result, the traffic jam following mode is set. At this time, according to the position of the vehicle, if a vehicle is within a predetermined distance from an intersection or the like, the semi-automatic following mode is set, and if not, the fully automatic following mode is set. Here, it is assumed that the fully automatic following mode has been set. Therefore, the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle without the driver performing an accelerator operation.

Thereafter, when the vehicle reaches the position at the predetermined distance from the intersection or the like, the mode is switched from the fully automatic following mode to the semi-automatic following mode. Preferably, the tracking control unit 1
0 indicates whether the current mode is semi-automatic or fully automatic on an indicator (not shown, installed on an instrument panel or the like) near the driver's seat or other display means. Also preferably, when performing semi-automatic and fully automatic mode switching,
A signal sound for switching is output from a speaker (not shown). A voice notifying the mode switching may be output.

After the mode switching, when the preceding vehicle advances, the driver depresses the accelerator to instruct the vehicle to follow.
This semi-automatic control is continued until the vehicle passes the intersection.
After that, it is determined that the vehicle has passed the intersection or the like, and the current position
And the determination result is notified to the follow-up control unit 10. Then, the fully automatic following mode is set again by the mode switching, and the mode switching is transmitted to the driver by display or the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the mode switching between the semi-automatic mode and the fully automatic mode is performed according to the vehicle position. On actual roads, there are many places where a vehicle can leave traffic jam following operation. In such places,
Semi-automatic following that attempts to reflect the driver's will may incur a burden on the driver. However, in the present embodiment, since the mode is automatically switched based on the determination on the vehicle side as described above, the driver need only issue an instruction to perform the follow-up by operating the accelerator only at a necessary place. In places where such instructions are unnecessary, fully automatic processing is performed. Therefore, the burden on the driver is reduced, and the driving operation can be made easier.

The above advantages can be obtained even when a manual type advance instruction switch is employed. That is, even if the accelerator pedal is not used, the effects of the present invention can be partially obtained.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention, the driver operates the accelerator pedal as a progress switch for instructing the execution of the follow-up process, so that the driver's operation is facilitated. In the traffic jam following mode, unnecessary accelerator pedals are effectively used, so that the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

Further, according to the present invention, since the semi-automatic following mode and the fully automatic following mode are switched according to the current position of the vehicle, the burden on the driver can be reduced, and the driving operation can be facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a traffic jam following device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle control device including the traffic congestion tracking device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a map used to determine a target relative vehicle speed under the control of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a traffic jam following device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing in a fully automatic following mode in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a map used to determine a target relative vehicle speed by the control of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 tracking control unit, 12 traffic jam mode switch, 14
Inter-vehicle distance sensor, 16 electronic throttle, 18 brake, 20 accelerator position sensor, 22 accelerator pedal, 30 engine ECU, 50 current position determination unit,
52 current position detection unit, 54 map storage unit.

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 3D044 AA21 AA25 AB01 AC15 AC24 AC26 AC56 AC59 AD02 AD21 AE01 AE04 AE15 AE19 AE21 3G065 BA06 CA19 CA22 DA04 FA11 GA00 GA11 GA29 GA46 GA49 GA50 JA14 KA01 KA12 3G093 AA01 DB18 DBA00 EB04 EC01 FA02 FA04 FA10 FA12 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB13 CC12 FF04 FF05 FF22 FF27 FF32 FF33 LL01 LL04 LL09

Claims (5)

[Claims] When a congestion following mode in which a vehicle follows a preceding vehicle is set on a congested road, a following process for following a preceding vehicle is executed on condition that a progress switch is operated by a driver as an execution condition. In the following device, the accelerator pedal functions as the traveling switch while the congestion following mode is set. 2. The traffic jam tracking device according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the accelerator pedal is determined based on a detection signal of an accelerator pedal sensor. 3. The traffic congestion follow-up device according to claim 1, further comprising a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle, and executing a follow-up process in accordance with a current position with the accelerator pedal operation as an execution condition. A traffic congestion tracking device, which switches between a semi-automatic tracking mode for performing the following and a fully automatic tracking mode for automatically performing a tracking process without using the accelerator pedal operation as an execution condition. 4. An accelerator pedal operated by a driver for instructing acceleration, a prime mover control means for controlling a prime mover in accordance with an amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, and a congestion follow-up for causing the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle on a congested road. A tracking mode setting means for setting a mode; and a tracking control means for performing a following process to a preceding vehicle on the condition that the accelerator pedal is depressed when the congestion tracking mode is set. A vehicle control device that suppresses an acceleration instruction function of a pedal and causes an accelerator pedal to function as a progress switch operated by a driver to instruct a follow-up execution. 5. A traffic congestion follower for causing a vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle on a congested road, comprising: a progress switch operated by a driver to instruct execution of a follow-up process; and a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle. And a semi-automatic tracking mode for executing a tracking process with the operation of the progress switch as an execution condition according to the detected current position, and automatically performing a tracking process without setting the operation of the progress switch as an execution condition. A traffic jam tracking device, which switches between a full automatic tracking mode and a traffic jam tracking mode.