JP2002019486A - Vehicle traveling control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle traveling control device which can evaluate the reaction of a driver to a lost alarm when a vehicle is lost, and achieve the guide so as to take an appropriate reaction while reducing the sense of incongruity or troubles if the reaction of the driver is not appropriate to the lost alarm. SOLUTION: This vehicle traveling control device for automatically controlling the acceleration/deceleration or the steering operation by recognizing the environment around the vehicle by a vehicle environment recognizing means comprises an environment recognizing and judging means for judging whether or not the vehicle environment recognizing means can recognize the environment around the vehicle, a lost alarm issuing means for providing the alarm when the vehicle environment recognizing means cannot recognize the environment around the vehicle, an operational reaction measuring means for measuring the operational reaction of the driver until the predetermined time immediately after the lost alarm is issued, an operational reaction evaluating means for evaluating the status of the measured operational reaction, and a setting changing means for changing at least either the subsequent control setting or the alarm setting based on the result of the operational reaction evaluation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle by using a radar and controlling an accelerator and a brake so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined value to follow the preceding vehicle, or TECHNICAL FIELD The technical field of a vehicle travel control device applied to a device that detects a lane boundary line (lane marker) of a traveling lane using a camera and performs steering control to assist steering torque so as not to deviate from the lane. Belongs to.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle travel control device that detects an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle by using a radar, controls an accelerator and a brake so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined value, and follows the preceding vehicle, For example, JP-A-11-192858
And Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-039600 and
The thing described in 320983 is known.

[0003] In these publications, when the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle cannot be detected (at the time of a lost vehicle), it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle and the vehicle is controlled so as to have a preset vehicle speed. If the radar cannot detect the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle for some reason in spite of the presence of the vehicle, there is a possibility that the vehicle may abnormally approach the preceding vehicle. Therefore, when it becomes impossible to detect the inter-vehicle distance, a warning is given by display or sound,
A technique to inform the driver is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-078948 discloses a vehicular travel control device that detects a lane marker of a traveling lane using a camera and performs steering control to assist steering torque so as not to deviate from the lane. The one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-260, 1993 is known.

[0005] Similarly to the above-described device for controlling the following of a preceding vehicle, when the camera cannot detect the lane marker, the control of the conventional device cannot be performed so as not to deviate from the lane. A technique is described in which a warning is given by sound and the driver is notified.

[0006]

However, among the above-described conventional vehicle travel control devices, a device for following and controlling a preceding vehicle is configured to simply give an alarm when a strike occurs when the inter-vehicle distance cannot be detected. Therefore, the warning issuance timing is determined without consideration of the driver's feeling received thereby. For this reason, there has been a problem that the driver reacts excessively to the warning, causing a sense of incongruity or annoyance, and furthermore, causing a distrust of the system.

[0007] Similarly, among the conventional vehicle travel control devices that perform steering control so as not to deviate from the lane, an alarm is issued only when the lane marker cannot be detected, so that the driver feels uncomfortable or troublesome. It makes me feel.

[0008] Further, such a situation when the environment cannot be recognized (at the time of loss) is obtained when the driver has experienced several times in the past and can understand how to deal with it. For example, by canceling the system and performing acceleration / deceleration control and steering control by itself, it is possible to easily respond, but when such a scene is encountered for the first time, or in rare cases However, it takes a long time to understand the situation, and the reaction of the driver is delayed, which causes anxiety.

In order to solve such a situation, if a warning at the time of a loss is given in such a manner as to always draw a driver's attention greatly, for example, by a loud sound or a blinking display,
On the other hand, for a driver who has sufficiently experienced the situation at the time of the loss and is capable of performing an appropriate reaction, the alarm becomes troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to evaluate a driver's response to a lost warning at the time of a lost, and to evaluate a driver's response to a lost warning. Is to provide a vehicle travel control device that can guide the driver to take an appropriate reaction while reducing discomfort and annoyance.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle environment recognizing means for recognizing an environment around a vehicle, wherein the vehicle environment recognizing means responds to the recognition result by the vehicle environment recognizing means. In a vehicle traveling control device that performs automatic control of acceleration / deceleration or steering of a vehicle, an environment recognition determination unit that determines whether the vehicle environment recognition unit can recognize an environment around the vehicle, and the vehicle environment recognition unit includes a vehicle environment recognition unit. Lost alarm issuing means for giving an alarm when it is determined that the environment of the driver has become unrecognizable; operation response measuring means for measuring the driver's operation response immediately after the lost alarm is issued until a predetermined time; and Operation response evaluation means for evaluating the situation, and setting change means for changing at least one of the subsequent control setting or alarm setting based on the operation response evaluation result And said that you are.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the first aspect, the vehicle traveling control device is adapted to detect an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined value. A device for performing deceleration control, wherein the vehicle environment recognizing means is means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle of the own vehicle and the own vehicle, and the operation response measuring means is a driver for a predetermined time from immediately after issuing a lost alarm. Means for measuring at least one of a brake operation and a steering wheel operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle travel control device according to the second aspect, the operation response evaluation means is configured to perform a reaction by determining that a reaction operation amount of a driver immediately after a lost alarm is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As means for evaluating that the reaction is too sensitive, the setting change means, when the response is evaluated as being sensitive, the subsequent control inter-vehicle distance setting is longer than when the reaction is evaluated as not being sensitive. It is characterized by setting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the second or third aspect, the operation response evaluation means is configured to determine that a driver's response operation amount immediately after a lost alarm is less than a predetermined value. As a means for evaluating that the response is appropriate, the setting change means, when the response is evaluated as appropriate, the subsequent control inter-vehicle distance setting is not evaluated as the response is appropriate It is characterized in that it is set to be shorter than sometimes.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the first aspect, the vehicle traveling control device detects the relative lateral displacement of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling lane and moves the own vehicle into the traveling lane. A device that performs steering control so that the vehicle environment is recognized, the vehicle environment recognizing unit is a unit that detects a relative lateral displacement of the host vehicle with respect to a traveling lane, and the operation response measuring unit is a driver for a predetermined time from immediately after a lost warning is issued. Means for measuring at least one of a brake operation and a steering wheel operation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the fifth aspect, the operation response evaluation means is configured to perform a reaction by determining that a reaction operation amount of the driver immediately after the lost warning is equal to or more than a predetermined value. Means for evaluating that the response is excessive, and the setting change means, when the response is evaluated as being excessively sensitive, the subsequent steering control is performed in the traveling lane as compared with when the response is not evaluated as being excessively sensitive. Means for changing the setting so that it can be located at a more central position.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the operation response evaluator is configured to determine that the amount of the reaction operation of the driver immediately after the lost alarm is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The means for evaluating that the reaction is too sensitive due to the presence, and when the reaction is evaluated to be too sensitive, the setting change means changes the subsequent alarm setting to a setting that further alerts the driver. Means.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, the operation response evaluation means is configured to determine that the amount of response operation of the driver immediately after the lost alarm is less than a predetermined value. As a means for evaluating that the reaction is appropriate, the setting change means changes the subsequent alarm setting to a setting that does not draw the driver's attention more when the reaction is evaluated as appropriate. Means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle travel control device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the operation response evaluation amount of the driver immediately after the lost warning by the operation response evaluation means is less than a predetermined value. The integrated value storage means for storing the integrated value from the start of the control of the number of times evaluated is provided, and the setting change means is provided for setting a subsequent alarm when the stored integrated value exceeds a predetermined value. It is characterized in that the means is changed to a setting that does not call attention.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle travel control device according to the ninth aspect, when the setting change means changes the alarm setting to a setting that does not draw the driver's attention more, the driver is notified to the driver. It is characterized in that means for determining whether or not to make a change, and performing actual setting change in response to a driver's change permitting operation.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle travel control device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the operation response evaluation means includes: The system is characterized in that the operation response is evaluated by comprehensively determining the time from the alarm to the start of the reaction and the vehicle state when the environment around the vehicle cannot be detected.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle for vehicle which has a vehicle environment recognizing means for recognizing an environment around the vehicle, and performs automatic control of acceleration / deceleration or steering of the vehicle according to the recognition result of the vehicle environment recognizing means. In the travel control device, environment recognition determination means for determining whether the vehicle environment recognition means can recognize the environment around the vehicle, and vehicle condition determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle environment is safe based on the recognized vehicle surrounding environment And that the vehicle environment recognizing means cannot recognize the environment around the vehicle only when it is determined that the vehicle surrounding environment is not safe and the vehicle environment is not recognized based on the recognized vehicle surrounding environment. Simulated lost alarm issuing means for simulating the alarm of the above, operation response measuring means for measuring a driver's operation response from a time immediately after the simulated lost alarm is issued to a predetermined time, and the measured operation An operation reaction evaluation means for evaluating the status of the response, based on the operation reaction evaluation results, characterized by comprising a setting changing means for changing at least one of the subsequent control setting or alarm setting, a.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the twelfth aspect, the vehicle condition judging means is means for continuing the vehicle condition judgment based on the environment recognition even while issuing the simulated lost warning, If it is determined that the vehicle is not in a safe condition during the issuance of the simulated lost alarm, an alarm operating means for issuing an alarm by another means is provided.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle travel control device according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect,
The operation response evaluation means is a means for evaluating that the reaction is appropriate by the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the simulated lost alarm is less than a predetermined value, and when the reaction is evaluated as appropriate, A first simulated lost alarm stop means for stopping the issuance of the simulated lost alarm is provided.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle traveling control device according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, an integrated value storage means for storing an integrated value of the number of times that the surrounding environment of the vehicle cannot be recognized since the start of the control. And a second simulated lost alarm stopping means for stopping the issuance of a simulated lost alarm when the stored cumulative value becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the environment recognition determining means determines whether or not the vehicle environment recognizing means for recognizing the environment around the vehicle can recognize the environment around the vehicle. In the alarm issuing means, when it is determined that the vehicle environment recognition means can no longer recognize the environment around the vehicle, an alarm is given, and in the operation response measurement means,
The operation response of the driver from a time immediately after the issuance of the lost alarm to a predetermined time is measured, the operation response evaluation means evaluates the state of the measured operation response, and the setting change means controls the subsequent operation based on the operation response evaluation result. Since at least one of the setting and the alarm setting is changed,
It is possible to guide an appropriate reaction of the driver to the alarm, and reduce discomfort and annoyance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle environment recognizing means detects the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle and the own vehicle, and the operation response measuring means sets a predetermined time from immediately after the issuance of the lost warning. Since it is configured to measure the response of at least one of the driver's brake operation and steering wheel operation, the device that detects the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle and performs acceleration / deceleration control so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined value, This leads to an appropriate reaction of the driver with respect to, and it is possible to reduce discomfort and annoyance.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the operation response evaluation means, when the amount of response operation of the driver immediately after the lost alarm is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is presumed that the driver has felt a sense of incongruity and the response is estimated. When the reaction is evaluated as being hypersensitive by the setting change means, the control inter-vehicle distance is set to be longer than that when the reaction is evaluated as not hypersensitive. Therefore, even if the inter-vehicle distance cannot be recognized in the subsequent control state, the allowance to the preceding vehicle is increased, and uncomfortable feeling and troublesomeness can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the operation response evaluation means, when the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the lost alarm is less than a predetermined value, the driver's uncomfortable feeling to the alarm is small and an appropriate reaction is performed. It is estimated that the reaction is appropriate, and if the response is evaluated by the setting change means to be appropriate, the subsequent control inter-vehicle distance setting is not evaluated that the response is appropriate Since it is configured to be set shorter than sometimes, when the control inter-vehicle distance is set to be longer by the operation of the invention of claim 3, it is possible to return to the normal control inter-vehicle distance, By making the control inter-vehicle distance shorter, followability to the preceding vehicle is improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle environment recognizing means detects the relative lateral displacement of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling lane, and the operation response measuring means provides the driver with a predetermined time from immediately after the lost warning is issued. Since it is configured to measure the response of at least one of the brake operation and the steering wheel operation of the vehicle, a device that detects the relative lateral displacement of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling lane and performs steering control so that the own vehicle stays in the traveling lane, an alarm This leads to an appropriate reaction of the driver with respect to, and it is possible to reduce discomfort and annoyance.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in the operation response evaluation means, when the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the lost alarm is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is presumed that the driver has felt a sense of incongruity, and the reaction is estimated. If the response is evaluated as being hypersensitive by the setting change means, the subsequent steering control is located at a more central position in the traveling lane than when the reaction is not evaluated as hypersensitive. In the subsequent control state, even if the relative position in the driving lane cannot be recognized, the margin for departure from the driving lane is increased, and uncomfortable feeling and inconvenience are reduced. Can be reduced.

[0032] In the invention according to claim 7, in the operation response evaluation means, when the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the lost alarm is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is presumed that the driver has felt a sense of incongruity and the reaction is estimated. If the response is evaluated to be too sensitive by the setting change means, the subsequent alarm setting is changed to a setting that draws more attention of the driver. Even if the environmental state cannot be recognized in the control state, the driver becomes more easily aware of the unrecognizable state and can easily take an appropriate reaction.

In the invention according to claim 8, in the operation response evaluation means, when the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the lost alarm is less than a predetermined value, the driver's uncomfortable feeling to the alarm is small and an appropriate reaction is performed. If the response is evaluated by the setting change means to be appropriate, the subsequent alarm setting is changed to a setting that does not attract the driver's attention. Since the configuration is adopted, the alarm associated with the inability to recognize the environment is not bothersome.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the integrated value storage means, from the start of control of the number of times that the reaction operation amount of the driver immediately after the lost alarm is evaluated as being less than the predetermined value by the operation response evaluation means. When the accumulated value of the stored number of times exceeds a predetermined value, the driver estimates that the driver can react appropriately sufficiently thereafter, and sets the subsequent alarm setting to the driver. Is changed to a setting that does not draw the attention of the user, so that the alarm accompanying the environment recognition failure is not bothersome.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when changing the alarm setting to a setting that does not draw the driver's attention by the setting changing means, the driver is asked to determine whether or not to change the setting. The configuration is such that the actual setting change is performed in response to the driver's change permission operation, so it is possible to eliminate the troublesome warning that the environment is not recognized, and the driver does not feel troublesome or the warning is useful. If it is felt that it is, it is possible to leave the alarm setting to call attention.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the operation response evaluation means, the magnitude of the driver's response operation amount immediately after the lost warning, the time from the lost warning to the start of the reaction, and the environment around the vehicle are determined. Since the operation response is evaluated by comprehensively judging the vehicle state when detection is no longer possible, the driver's response to the alarm issued when the environment around the vehicle is no longer recognized is determined by the driver's response. It is possible to more accurately judge the sense of discomfort that is felt, and it is possible to appropriately reduce the annoyance and discomfort felt by the driver, and to allow the driver to appropriately understand the situation where environmental recognition is not possible.

In the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the environment recognition determining means determines whether or not the vehicle environment recognizing means can recognize the environment around the vehicle, and the vehicle condition determining means determines from the recognized vehicle surrounding environment. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is in a safe vehicle condition, and the simulated lost alarm issuing means can recognize the vehicle surrounding environment, and determines that the vehicle is not in a safe vehicle condition from the recognized vehicle surrounding environment (for example, the preceding vehicle). Only when the vehicle environment recognizing means cannot recognize the environment around the vehicle, and the operation response measuring means immediately after issuing the simulated lost alarm. The operation response of the driver up to a predetermined time is measured, the operation response evaluation means evaluates the state of the measured operation response, and the setting change means evaluates the operation response based on the operation response evaluation result. Since it is configured to change at least one of the control setting and the alarm setting after that, it is possible to simulate the lost alarm issued when the environment recognition is not possible in a low danger state by the preceding simulated lost alarm For a driver who has little experience in a scene where the environment cannot be recognized, it is possible to learn an appropriate coping method in the scene and to reduce discomfort and annoyance.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle condition judging means continues to judge the vehicle condition based on the environment recognition even while the simulated lost alarm is being issued, and the alarm actuating means is safe during the simulated lost alarm issuance. When it is determined that the vehicle is not in the vehicle status, an alarm is issued by another means.Therefore, a new alarm is issued in a situation where it is likely to approach the preceding vehicle or deviate from the course while issuing the simulated lost alarm. The occurrence can be identified, and the driver can be prompted to perform an appropriate avoidance operation.

In the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the operation response evaluation means, when the driver's reaction operation amount immediately after the simulated lost alarm is less than a predetermined value, the driver's discomfort to the alarm is small and appropriate. Since it is estimated that the reaction is appropriate, the reaction is evaluated to be appropriate, and if the first simulation lost alarm stop means is judged to be appropriate, the issuance of the simulated lost alarm is stopped thereafter. Further, the driver who can appropriately react is not issued a further simulated lost alarm, so that the trouble of the simulated lost alarm can be reduced.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the integrated value storage means stores an integrated value of the number of times the environment around the vehicle cannot be recognized since the start of the control, and the stored integrated value of the number of times is a predetermined value. In this case, it is determined that the driver has sufficiently experienced a situation in which the environment cannot be recognized, and the second simulated lost alarm stopping means is configured to stop issuing the simulated lost alarm thereafter. The simulated lost alarm is no longer issued, and the trouble of the simulated lost alarm can be reduced.

[0041]

(First Embodiment) First, the configuration will be described.

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram showing an inter-vehicle control type constant speed traveling device (Adaptive Cruise Control; hereinafter abbreviated as ACC) in Embodiment 1 which is an example of a vehicle traveling control device of the present invention. Reference numerals 1FL, 1FR denote front wheels as driven wheels, 1RL, 1RR denote rear wheels as drive wheels, and rear wheels 1RL, 1RR denote the automatic transmission 3, the propeller shaft 4, and the final reduction gear of the engine 2 having the driving force of the engine 2. The rotation is transmitted through the transmission 5 and the axle 6.

Front wheels 1FL, 1FR and rear wheels 1RL, 1R
R is provided with a disc brake 7 for generating a braking force, and the braking oil pressure of the disc brake 7 is controlled by a braking control device 8.

Here, the braking control device 8 generates a braking oil pressure in response to the depression of a brake pedal (not shown), and sets a target braking pressure P _B from the tracking control controller 30.
It is configured to generate braking oil pressure according to ^* .

The engine 2 is provided with an engine output control device 9 for controlling the output. The engine output control device 9 controls the engine output by controlling the engine speed by adjusting the opening TH of the throttle valve, and adjusting the opening of the idle control valve by adjusting the opening of the idle control valve. In this embodiment, a method of adjusting the opening of the throttle valve is adopted.

Further, the automatic transmission 3 is provided with a transmission control device 10 for controlling the shift position. When an up / down shift command value TS is input from a follow-up control controller 30 described later, the transmission control device 10 performs up-shift or down-shift control of the shift position of the automatic transmission 3 in response thereto. Is configured.

On the other hand, a radar system which scans laser light as inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle and receives reflected light from the preceding vehicle is provided below the vehicle body in front of the vehicle. An inter-vehicle distance sensor 12 having a configuration is provided.

The vehicle includes, for example, wheel speed sensors 13FL and 13FR attached to front wheels 1FL and 1FR, which are driven wheels, for detecting wheel speeds, and an accelerator pedal 1
Accelerator switch 15 for detecting depression of the brake pedal 4 and a brake switch 17 for detecting depression of the brake pedal 16
A braking pressure sensor 18 for detecting a braking pressure output from the braking control device 8, and a steering wheel (not shown)
A steering angle sensor 19 for detecting the steering angle θ, a main switch SW _M and a set switch SW _S as start instruction means for selecting whether or not to perform follow-up control, and a cancel switch SW _C as release instruction means. drive range detecting switch SW _D which is turned is provided when selecting a drive range lever.

The main switch SW _M includes a momentary changeover switch 20 having one end connected to the battery B via an ignition switch SW _IG and operated by the driver, and a self-holding relay circuit. 21.

The changeover switch 20 has a first input terminal t to which the switch signal _SIG is input when the switch is in the off position.
between _i1 and an output terminal t _o is the cut-off state, a second input terminal t _i2 and an output terminal t _o becomes the connected state in which power supply from the relay circuit 21 is inputted when a neutral position, an ON position And the first and second input terminals t _i
And ₁ and t _i2 and an output terminal t _o is configured to a connected state.

The relay circuit 21 has a normally open contact s1 and a relay coil RL for driving the normally open contact s1, and one end of the normally open contact s1 is connected to an ignition switch SW _IG .
Further, the other end is connected directly to the follow-up control controller 20 to be described later via the set switch SW _S, and is connected to the second input terminal t _i2 of the changeover switch 20. The relay coil RL has one end connected thereto. Selector switch 20
Is connected to the output terminal t _o the other end is grounded.

Then, the following distance sensor 12, the wheel speed sensors 13FL and 13FR, the accelerator switch 15, the brake switch 17, the braking pressure sensor 18, and the steering angle sensor 1
9 and switch signals S _M , S _SET , S of the main switch SW _M , the set switch SW _S , and the cancel switch S _WC for selecting whether or not to perform the follow-up control.
Switch signal S _DR of the _CAN and the drive range detecting switch SW _D is input to the following controller 30, by the following controller 30, the control standby mode WM, the holding to the vehicle a predetermined braking force in a stopped state automatic stop mode SM to hold, when the preceding vehicle is not trapped by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 12 to match the vehicle speed V _S at set vehicle speed V _sET, between the actual vehicle detected by headway distance sensor 12 when the entrapping preceding vehicle Following mode FM and automatic stop mode S for controlling the vehicle speed by controlling the braking control device 8, the engine output control device 9, and the transmission control device 10 so that the distance L matches the target inter-vehicle distance L ^*.
M and the following mode FM are released, but control is performed in accordance with a predetermined transition condition to four control modes of a control release mode RM in which the braking force generated by these is released.

[0053] That is, by the main switch SW _M and ON state, the control standby mode WM changed from the control stop state following controller 30, in the control standby mode WM, the automatic transmission is in a dry flange,
When the vehicle is stopped and the first condition that the set switch SW _S is in the on state is satisfied, the mode transits to the automatic stop mode SM, the automatic transmission is in the drift range, and the brake switch 17 is in the off state. When the second condition in which the set switch SW _S is on is satisfied, the mode transits to the following mode FM.

Further, in the automatic stop mode SM, when the third condition that the preceding vehicle has moved forward by a predetermined amount from the position at which the preceding vehicle has shifted to the automatic stop mode is satisfied, the mode shifts to the following mode FM. When the fourth condition that the inter-vehicle distance L to the vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined value and the own vehicle speed is equal to or less than the predetermined value is satisfied, the mode shifts to the automatic stop mode SM.

Further, when the cancel switch SW _C is turned on in the automatic stop mode SM, the steering angle sensor 1
The control release mode RM is executed when the fifth condition, which is one of when the steering angle θ detected in Step 9 becomes a predetermined value or more and when the automatic transmission 3 is changed to a range other than the drift range, is satisfied.
Transitions to.

An alarm issued from the follow-up control controller 30 as required is output to an alarm / display device 60. The warning / display device 60 includes a speaker 61 for generating a warning sound, and a display 62 for displaying a preceding vehicle detection state, a control state, and a warning by the radar type inter-vehicle distance sensor 12.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 30 denotes a follow-up control controller, 12 denotes an inter-vehicle distance sensor, SW denotes switches such as a main switch SW _M , a set switch SW _S , and a cancel switch S _WC.
Is a steering wheel 7 with good operability by the driver.
1 is installed.

Next, the operation will be described.

With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the processing contents of the follow-up control controller 30 will be described. Broadly speaking, S10 to S100 show the processing contents in the normal control state, and S110 to S150 show the processing contents for determining the driver's reaction operation amount at the time of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm and changing the control alarm setting. I have.

<Normal Control Processing> First, in S10, it is determined whether or not the following distance sensor 12 has detected the following distance (whether there is a preceding vehicle). If the inter-vehicle distance is detected, it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle, and the process proceeds to normal processing after S20.

In step S20, the degree of approach to the preceding vehicle is determined from the detected inter-vehicle distance D (m) and the calculated relative speed Vr (m / s) obtained by differentiating the detected inter-vehicle distance D with respect to time.
Here, the following margin time TTC (sec) is calculated.
Here, the equation for calculating TTC is equation (1). Extra time TTC = D / Vr (1) Here, when the relative speed is 0, the equation (1) is not satisfied. In this case, the TTC may be set to a predetermined value (for example, 100). In addition, the value of the allowance time TTC indicates a positive value when the vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle (the relative speed Vr is positive), and when the vehicle is leaving the relative vehicle (relative speed Vr). (Vr is negative) indicates a negative value.

Subsequently, at S30, the calculated margin time T
The degree of approach is determined from the TC value, and it is determined whether to issue an approach warning. Here, for example, whether TTC is a positive value and is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 4 seconds) is used as a criterion for determination. If the degree of approach is large, the process proceeds to S40, and an approach warning is issued. Here, the display 62
, An alarm display indicating that the degree of approach is large is displayed in a blinking manner, and at the same time, an alarm sound for calling the driver's attention is issued from the speaker 61.

When the approach warning is not issued, in S50,
It is determined whether or not a later-described simulated lost alarm is being issued. If not, it is determined in S60 whether or not the simulated lost alarm condition is met. The conditions for issuing the simulated lost alarm here are as follows. -The number of times the lost alarm has been issued since the start of the control is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, three times).-The driver's reaction manipulated variable to the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm has not been measured since the start of the control, or the measured response. The amount of operation is equal to or more than a predetermined value (the operation is too sensitive). The degree of approach to the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value (TTC is positive and equal to or more than a predetermined value (for example, 10 seconds) or a negative value). Continue for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) or more. ・ All of the above are fulfilled, and a command is issued at random timing.

When the condition for issuing the simulated lost alarm is met,
Proceed to S80 and issue a simulated lost alarm. Here, the driver's attention is called by the same means as the lost alarm described later. That is, the display of the preceding vehicle, which is displayed on the display 62, is turned off, and an alert sound is issued from the speaker 61. The warning sound is set so as to be associated with a lower urgency than the warning sound of the approach warning described above. For example, lower frequency (approach warning is 2KHz
Then, a simulated lost alarm (lost alarm) is set to 1 KHz), and when an intermittent alarm sound is used, the intermittent interval is set longer or the number of intermittent sounds is set smaller. After this processing, this processing ends, and S
Return to 10.

If the simulated lost alarm condition is not met in S60, or if an approach alarm is issued in S40,
In S70, acceleration / deceleration control is performed so that the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined value, and the process returns to S10. The inter-vehicle distance setting in S70 is affected by the inter-vehicle distance setting change in S140 or S150 described later. Target value Dta for inter-vehicle distance control
rget is determined by the following equation (2). Inter-vehicle distance target value Dtarget = TH × V (2) Here, V (m / s) is the own vehicle speed, TH (sec) is the inter-vehicle time target value, and this inter-vehicle time target value TH is changed in S140. .

If it is determined in S10 that there is no preceding vehicle, or if it is determined in S50 that the simulated lost alarm is being issued, the process proceeds to S90, and the lost process is performed in this process. It is determined whether or not. If lost in this process, a lost alarm is issued in S100. The alarm means here is the same as the above-mentioned simulated lost alarm, and turns off the preceding vehicle display displayed on the display 62 and issues an alert sound from the speaker 61. Further, this alarm means is affected by an alarm setting change in S140 or S150 described later. After issuing the alarm, the process returns to S10.

<Control Alarm Setting Change Process> If the process is lost or a simulated lost alarm is being issued and it is not lost in this process, the process proceeds from S90 to S110. Here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time T _{EV has} elapsed from the issuance of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. _TEV indicates a measurement evaluation time for determining a driver's reaction operation to an alarm, and may be set to, for example, 10 seconds (determined from a driver's reaction operation amount for 10 seconds after an alarm is issued).

Until the time corresponding to T _EV elapses, the driver's operation amount is stored in S120 for the subsequent determination processing. Although the amount of depression of the brake pedal is basically used as the operation amount of the driver, more accurate determination can be made by using the steering angle of the steering wheel together.

After a lapse of the time T _EV , the program proceeds to S130.
It is determined whether the driver's operation amount between the alarm and the _TEV is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the following features are detected from the driver operation amount during this time, it is determined that the driver's response to the alarm was too sensitive, and the process proceeds to S140. The peak of the initial operation amount of the driver is slow and large (the time to the peak is equal to or more than a predetermined value (T _GR ), and the peak value is equal to or more than a threshold value). FIG. 3 shows an example of determining the response of the driver to the alarm.
Are examples of sensitive operations that match the above characteristics, and the other five examples are appropriate operation examples.

In S140 and S150, if the driver's operation is too sensitive, the inter-vehicle distance setting and the alarm setting are changed. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show modified examples by the respective processes. The target inter-vehicle time TH is set to be longer in S140,
In 150, it is changed to a shorter one. The setting change in S140 and S150 is specifically set as follows, for example. Three types of inter-vehicle time target values (TH
1, TH2, TH3) are prepared, and S140, S15
It shall be appropriately selected by the processing at 0. S14
In the process of 0, a target value one step longer than before is selected (TH2 if TH1 has been used until now, TH3 if TH2 has been used until now).
A). In the process of S150, a target value one step shorter is selected (TH2 if TH3 has been used until now, and TH1 if TH2 has been used until now).
A).

The alarm setting is changed to a direction in which the driver's attention is raised in S140 and to a direction in which the driver's attention is not raised in S150. Specifically, for example, the following two are prepared as alarm settings, and S140,
It is assumed that it is appropriately selected by the processing in S150.

<Alarm setting 1>-Turn off the warning sound (or low volume)-Turn off the preceding vehicle display <Alarm setting 2>-Output the warning sound (or high volume)-Turn off the preceding vehicle display and then turn off In the processing of S140, the alarm setting 2 that calls more attention of the driver is selected, and in the processing of S150, the alarm setting 1 that does not draw more attention of the driver is selected. S140, S1
In step 50, the settings for the next and subsequent controls or alarms are changed, the current processing ends, and the flow returns to S10. Controls and alarms after the next time are processed according to the changed settings.

According to the above-described processing, a lost warning is issued when the vehicle is lost or a simulated lost alarm is issued during normal detection while the headway control is being performed, and a reaction for a predetermined time is recorded from the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. Since the control setting and the alarm setting are changed according to the magnitude of the alarm, an appropriate response of the driver to the alarm can be guided, and the discomfort and annoyance can be reduced. At the same time, even if a simulated lost warning is being issued, if the degree of approach to the preceding vehicle is large, another approach warning is issued by another warning means that draws more attention of the driver, so appropriate avoidance action Can be encouraged.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 is an example of application of the present invention as an ACC similarly to Embodiment 1.
In contrast to the first embodiment, when a lost warning is issued, a warning is issued in consideration of the degree of approach at that time, and when determining the sensitivity of the reaction from the driver's reaction operation amount, only the magnitude and time of the operation amount are used. The determination is made in consideration of the degree of approach at the time of the warning, and the inter-vehicle distance setting and the warning setting are changed based on the result.

First, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the description is omitted.

Next, the operation will be described.

With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the processing contents of the follow-up control controller 30 will be described. Broadly speaking, S10 to S80 and S200 to S280 (S21
0 to S250) show the processing contents in the normal control state, and S210 to S250 show the processing contents of determining the driver's reaction operation amount at the time of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm and changing the control alarm setting. .

<Normal Control Processing> The normal control processing of S10 to S80 is exactly the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the description is omitted. Differences from the first embodiment are described in S200 to S28.
This is the processing content of 0, which will be described below.

In S200, it is determined whether a lost alarm or a simulated lost alarm is being issued. S200
If an alarm is being issued, the process proceeds to the control alarm setting change process after S210. If an alarm is not being issued, the process proceeds to S2.
Proceed to 60.

At S260, the current approach state is determined. Here, a predicted value TTC ^* of the allowance time TTC is calculated, and the calculated value is used as a criterion of the approach state. This predicted value T
TC ^* (sec) is calculated by the following equation (3). Allowance time prediction value TTC ^* = TTC + △ TTC · t (3) where TTC: allowance time immediately before the loss (sec) ΔTTC: TTC change rate immediately before the loss (sec / se)
c) t: Elapsed time (sec) from the loss.

The margin time prediction value TTC ^* is a value obtained by predicting the current TTC from the change in TTC immediately before the loss. The allowance time prediction value TTC ^* is a positive value, and
If it is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle suddenly, and the process proceeds to S270. Conversely, if the value indicates a negative value or a positive value equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is not in a state of suddenly approaching the preceding vehicle, and the process proceeds to S280.

In S 270, as in the first embodiment, as a lost warning, the display of the preceding vehicle displayed on the display 62 is erased, and the speaker 61 issues a warning sound. On the other hand, in S280, only the display of the preceding vehicle displayed on the display 62 is erased, and the speaker 6
The alert sound from 1 is not issued.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the timing at which a lost alarm is generated according to the second embodiment. By performing such processing, it becomes possible to switch between issuing and not issuing a lost warning based on the prediction of the approaching state to the preceding vehicle after the lost time as compared to the first embodiment, and immediately causing a dangerous situation. It is possible to suppress a lost alarm in a situation where the player does not fall down, and reduce annoyance.

<Control alarm setting change process> This S210
The control alarm setting change processing in S250 is almost the same as that in the first embodiment, but the reaction manipulated variable determination processing in S230 is different.

If an alarm is being issued in S200, S21
Proceed to 0. Here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time T _{EV has} elapsed from the issuance of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. T _EV indicates a measurement evaluation time for determining a driver's reaction operation to an alarm, for example, 1
It may be set to 0 seconds (determined from the driver's reaction operation amount for 10 seconds from the alarm issuance).

Until the time elapses by T _EV , the operation amount of the driver is stored in S220 for the subsequent determination processing. Although the amount of depression of the brake pedal is basically used as the operation amount of the driver, more accurate determination can be made by using the steering angle of the steering wheel together.

After a lapse of the time T _EV , S230
It is determined whether the driver's operation amount between the alarm and the _TEV is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the following features are detected from the driver operation amount during this time, it is determined that the driver's response to the alarm was too sensitive, and the process proceeds to S240. The peak of the initial operation amount of the driver is slow and large (the time to the peak is equal to or more than a predetermined value (T _GR ), and the peak value is equal to or more than a threshold value). Specific difference from the processing in S130 of the first embodiment The point is that the threshold value for determination is made variable according to the approach state at the time of issuing the alarm. That is, the threshold value for a lost warning issued in a sudden approaching state to the preceding vehicle is large, and the threshold value for a lost warning issued in a gentle approaching state to the preceding vehicle is small. As the approaching state, the spare time prediction value TTC ^* shown in equation (3)
Use

With this processing, it is determined whether or not the driver's reaction operation to the alarm is excessively sensitive, including not only the operation amount but also the approaching state to the preceding vehicle when the alarm is issued. Compared to 1, it is possible to make a more accurate determination.

In S240 and S250, if the driver's operation is too sensitive, the setting of the following distance and the setting of the alarm are changed. The processing contents here are the same as those in S140 of the first embodiment,
It is the same as S150.

In steps S240 and S250, the control and alarm settings for the next and subsequent times are changed, the current processing ends, and the flow returns to step S10. Controls and alarms after the next time are processed according to the changed settings.

With the above-described processing, as in the first embodiment, a lost warning is issued when the vehicle is lost or a simulated lost alarm during normal detection is performed, and the lost distance alarm or the simulated lost alarm is issued. Since the reaction for a predetermined time is recorded and the control setting and the alarm setting are changed in accordance with the magnitude of the reaction, an appropriate reaction of the driver to the alarm can be guided, and discomfort and annoyance can be reduced. At the same time, even if a simulated lost warning is being issued, if the degree of approach to the preceding vehicle is large, another approach warning is issued by another warning means that draws more attention of the driver, so appropriate avoidance action Can be encouraged. Furthermore, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress a lost alarm in a situation where a dangerous situation does not immediately fall, reduce annoyance, and determine whether the driver's reaction operation to the alarm is too sensitive. This has the effect that the accuracy of the determination can be increased.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 8 and 9 show a lane keeping steering control apparatus (Lane Kee) according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
p system; hereinafter abbreviated as L / K. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the configuration of FIG.

In FIG. 9, a CCD camera 41 is fixedly installed on an inner mirror stay or the like in a vehicle compartment, and captures an image of a situation in front of the vehicle. The captured image data is sent to the image processing unit 42, and a lane marker near the own vehicle is detected by a process such as binarization. Further, the lateral deviation amount y in the traveling lane, the yaw angle に 対 す る with respect to the lane marker tangent, and the distance L to the lane boundary line ahead of the host vehicle are calculated. The result of the arithmetic processing in the image processing unit is sent to the L / K control unit 50 of the system. The L / K control unit 50 receives an L / K operation switch 43 and a turn signal switch 44 attached to the steering wheel in addition to the two image processing data.

The L / K control unit 50 outputs a control command value to the motor controller 51. Here, the control command value is the same as that of the conventional example, and the steering is controlled so as to remain in the lane when the own vehicle departs from the running lane. The motor controller 51 controls the rotation speed of the motor 52 based on a control command value from the L / K control unit 50.

The control state of the L / K control unit 50 is as follows:
The alarm issued as needed is output to the alarm / display device 60. The alarm / display device 60 includes a speaker 61 for generating an alarm sound and a display 62 for displaying a control state and an alarm.

FIG. 8 shows a sensor system and a control system according to the second embodiment. L / K control unit 50
Outputs a command value for connecting the motor 53 and the steering system toward the control clutch 55, and simultaneously outputs a control command value to the motor controller 51. When the torque sensor 57 determines that the steering torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel 71 exceeds a predetermined value, the control clutch 55 is immediately stopped to return to manual steering. Stop output. The motor controller 51 controls the number of revolutions of the motor 53 based on the control command value from the L / K control unit 50 and the torque value detected by the torque sensor 57, and controls the steering wheel 71 via the control clutch 55 and the steering shaft. Is given a control torque.

Next, the operation will be described.

Using the flowchart of FIG. 10, L / K
The processing contents in the control unit 50 will be described. When roughly divided, S310 to S400 show the processing contents in the normal control state, and S410 to S450 show the processing contents for determining the driver's reaction operation amount at the time of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm and changing the control alarm setting. I have.

<Normal Control Process> First, in S310, it is determined whether or not the lane marker has been normally detected in the image processing unit 42. If the lane marker is normally detected, the process proceeds to the normal processing after S350.

In S350, it is determined whether or not a simulated lost alarm to be described later is being issued. If not,
In S360, it is determined whether or not the simulated lost alarm condition is met. The conditions for issuing the simulated lost alarm here are as follows. -The amount of response operation of the driver to the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm from the start of control is not measured, or the measured amount of reaction operation is equal to or more than a predetermined value (operation is too sensitive).-The predicted course-out time TLC is equal to or more than a predetermined value. -The above-mentioned course-out prediction time TLC condition must be continuously maintained for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) or more.-All of the above conditions should be satisfied and a command will be issued at random timing.

Here, the predicted course-out time TLC (se
c) is calculated by equation (4) from the distance L (m) to the lane boundary line ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle speed V (m / s) shown in FIG. Predicted course-out time TLC = L / V (4) If the simulated lost alarm issuance condition is met, the process proceeds to S380, where a simulated lost alarm is issued. Here, the driver's attention is called by the same means as the lost alarm described later.
That is, the lane detection display displayed on the display 62 is turned off, and the speaker 61 emits an alert sound. After this process, the current process ends, and S310
Return to.

If the simulated lost alarm condition is not satisfied in S360, steering control is performed in S370 so that the own vehicle falls within a predetermined range in the lane, and the process returns to S310. S370
The steering control setting at S440 or S45 described later
0 is affected by a change in the steering control setting. Here, the steering control is performed such that the lateral displacement y of the own vehicle in FIG. 11 falls within a predetermined range (± dY from the center) with respect to the own vehicle traveling lane. When the margin to the left and right lane markers is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the L / K control unit 50 is controlled to enter the center of the traveling lane.

If the lane cannot be detected in S310, or if it is determined in S350 that the simulated lost alarm has been issued, the process proceeds to S390, in which it is determined whether or not the vehicle has been lost in the current process. I do. If lost in this process, a lost alarm is issued in S400.
The alarm means here is the same as the above-mentioned simulated lost alarm, and turns off the preceding vehicle display displayed on the display 62 and issues an alert sound from the speaker 61. Further, this alarm means is affected by the alarm setting change in S440 or S450 described later. After issuing the alarm, the process returns to S310.

<Control alarm setting change process> If the process is lost or a simulated lost alarm is being issued and it is not lost in this process, the process proceeds from S390 to S410. Here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time T _{EV has} elapsed from the issuance of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. _TEV indicates a measurement evaluation time for determining a driver's reaction operation to an alarm, and may be set to, for example, 10 seconds (determined from a driver's reaction operation amount for 10 seconds after an alarm is issued).

Until the time elapses by T _EV , the operation amount of the driver is stored in S420 for the subsequent determination processing. Although the steering angle of the steering wheel is basically used as the operation amount of the driver, a more accurate determination can be made by using the depression amount of the brake pedal together.

After a lapse of time equal to T _EV , S430
It is determined whether the driver's operation amount between the alarm and the _TEV is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the following characteristics are detected from the driver operation amount during this time, it is determined that the driver's response to the alarm has been excessively sensitive, and the process proceeds to S440. The peak of the initial operation amount of the driver is slow and large (the time until the peak is equal to or more than a predetermined value (T _GR ), and the peak value is equal to or more than a threshold value). Change the steering control settings and alarm settings. Figure 1
FIG. 2 and FIG. 13 show examples of changes by the respective processes.

The setting of the steering control is specifically changed, for example, as follows. Steering control is performed so as to stay within the range of ± dY from the center line of the vehicle, and three types of parameters dY (dY1,
dY2, dY3) are prepared and selected appropriately by the processing in S440 and S450. In the process of S440, a target value smaller by one step than before is selected (dY2 if it is dY1 until now, dY3 if it is dY2 until now).
A). In the process of S450, a target value larger by one step is selected (dY2 if it is dY3, or dY if it is dY2).
1).

The alarm setting is changed to a direction in which the driver's attention is raised in S440 and to a direction in which the driver's attention is not raised in S450. Specifically, for example, the following two are prepared as alarm settings, and S440,
It is assumed that it is appropriately selected by the processing in S450.

<Alarm setting 1>-Turn off warning sound (or low volume)-Turn off lane detection display <Alarm setting 2>-Output warning sound (or high volume)-Turn off lane detection display after blinking -Vibrating the steering In the process of S440, the alarm setting 2 that calls for the driver's attention is selected, and in the process of S450, the alarm setting 1 that does not call for the driver's attention is selected.

At S440 and S450, the settings for the next and subsequent controls or alarms are changed, the current processing ends, and the flow returns to S310. Controls and alarms after the next time are processed according to the changed settings.

By performing the above-described processing, a lost warning or a simulated lost alarm during normal detection is issued while performing steering control, and a reaction for a predetermined time from the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm is recorded. Since the control setting and the alarm setting are changed in accordance with the magnitude of the reaction, an appropriate reaction of the driver to the alarm can be guided, and discomfort and annoyance can be reduced.

In the third embodiment, a means using a CCD camera and an image processing device is used as means for detecting the relative position of the own vehicle in the traveling lane. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is needless to say that the same effect can be obtained even if the information of the own vehicle in the lane can be obtained from the road side such as an induction cable.

(Embodiment 4) Embodiment 4 is an example of application of the present invention as L / K, as in Embodiment 3.
In contrast to Embodiment 3, when a lost warning is issued, a warning is issued in consideration of the degree of deviation from the course at that time.
When judging the sensitivity of the reaction from the driver's reaction operation amount, the judgment is made in consideration of not only the magnitude and time of the operation amount but also the degree of deviation at the time of alarm, and the steering control setting / alarm setting is changed based on the result It is characterized by:

First, the configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
Since the third embodiment is the same as the third embodiment shown in FIG.

Next, the operation will be described.

Using the flowchart of FIG. 14, L / K
The processing contents in the control unit 50 will be described. Broadly speaking, S310 to S380, S500 to S580 (S5
10 to S550) show the processing contents in the normal control state, and S510 to S550 show the processing contents for determining the driver's reaction operation amount at the time of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm and changing the control alarm setting. .

<Normal Control Processing> The normal control processing in steps S310 to S380 is exactly the same as in the third embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated. Differences from the third embodiment are as follows:
This is the processing content of step 580, which will be described below.

In S500, it is determined whether a lost alarm or a simulated lost alarm is being issued. S500
If the alarm is being issued, the process proceeds to the control alarm setting change process after S510. If the alarm is not being issued, the process proceeds to S5.
Proceed to 60.

In S560, the state of deviation from the current course is determined. Here, the predicted course-out time TLC
And of calculating a predicted value TLC ^*, the criterion of the value deviation state. This predicted value TLC ^* (sec) is calculated by equation (5). TLC predicted value TLC ^* = TLC + △ TLC · t (5) where, TLC: predicted course-out time immediately before lane detection is impossible (sec) ΔTLC: stored TLC immediately before lane detection is not possible
Change rate (sec / sec) t: Elapsed time (sec) from lane detection failure. The TLC predicted value TLC ^* is a value obtained by predicting the current TLC from a change in the TLC immediately before the loss. If the TLC predicted value TLC ^* is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is in a sudden course deviation state, and the process proceeds to S570. Conversely, when this value indicates a value equal to or greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is not in an abrupt course departure state, and the process proceeds to S580.

In S570, as in the third embodiment, the lane detection display displayed on the display 62 is erased and a warning sound is issued from the speaker 61 as a lost alarm. Further, a slight vibration is applied to the steering wheel. On the other hand, in S580, only the lane detection display displayed on the display 62 is erased, and the speaker 61
No more audible alerts or small vibrations are issued.

With this processing, it is possible to switch between issuing and not issuing a lost warning on the basis of the prediction of deviation from the course after the lost time in the third embodiment, and immediately setting a dangerous situation. It is possible to suppress a lost alarm in a situation where the user does not fall into the situation, and reduce annoyance.

<Control alarm setting change processing> This S510
The control alarm setting change process in S550 is almost the same as that in the third embodiment, but the reaction manipulated variable determination process in S530 is different.

If an alarm is being issued in S500, the process goes to S51.
Proceed to 0. Here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time T _{EV has} elapsed from the issuance of the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. T _EV indicates a measurement evaluation time for determining a driver's reaction operation to an alarm, for example, 1
It may be set to 0 seconds (determined from the driver's reaction operation amount for 10 seconds from the alarm issuance).

Until the time elapses by T _EV , the operation amount of the driver is stored in S520 for the subsequent determination processing. Although the steering angle of the steering wheel is basically used as the operation amount of the driver, a more accurate determination can be made by using the depression amount of the brake pedal together.

After the elapse of the time T _EV , S530
It is determined whether the driver's operation amount between the alarm and the _TEV is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the following features are detected from the driver operation amount during this time, it is determined that the driver's response to the alarm has been excessive, and the process proceeds to S540. -The peak of the initial operation amount of the driver is slow and large (the time to the peak is equal to or more than a predetermined value (T _GR ) and the peak value is equal to or more than a threshold value). The point is that the threshold value for determination is made variable according to the departure state from the course at the time of issuing the alarm. That is, the threshold value for a lost warning issued in a state where a sudden departure from the course is predicted is large, and the threshold value for a lost warning issued in a state in which a gradual deviation is predicted is set small. As the approach state, the TLC predicted value TLC ^* shown in the equation (5) is used.

By such processing, it is determined whether or not the driver's reaction operation to the alarm is excessively sensitive, including not only the operation amount but also the prediction of the departure state from the course when the alarm is issued. 3, it is possible to make a more accurate determination.

In S540 and S550, when the driver's operation is too sensitive, the steering control setting and the alarm setting are changed. The processing contents here are the same as those in S440 of the third embodiment,
Same as S450.

In steps S540 and S550, the settings for the next and subsequent controls or alarms are changed, the current processing ends, and the flow returns to step S310. Controls and alarms after the next time are processed according to the changed settings.

With the above-described processing, similarly to the third embodiment, a lost warning is issued at the time of a loss or a simulated lost alarm during normal detection is performed while performing steering control, and a predetermined alarm is issued from the lost alarm or the simulated lost alarm. Since the time response is recorded and the control setting and the alarm setting are changed according to the magnitude of the reaction, an appropriate response of the driver to the alarm can be guided, and the discomfort and annoyance can be reduced.

Further, in addition to the same effects as in the third embodiment, a lost alarm is suppressed in a situation where a dangerous situation does not immediately fall, a troublesome operation is reduced, and a driver's reaction operation to the alarm is excessively sensitive. This has the effect of increasing the accuracy of the determination of whether

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram showing an inter-vehicle control constant-speed traveling device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing contents in a tracking control controller according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an example of a driver's excessive brake operation in response to a lost alarm and an example of an appropriate brake operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a change in an inter-vehicle distance setting and an alarm setting in S140 of FIG. 2 (when a driver operation for a lost alarm is excessively sensitive).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a change in an inter-vehicle distance setting and an alarm setting in S150 in FIG. 2 (when a driver operation for a lost alarm is appropriate).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing contents in a follow-up control controller according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a time chart showing an example of a timing at which a lost alarm occurs in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a vehicle to which a headway control type constant speed traveling device according to a third embodiment is applied.

FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of an inter-vehicle control constant-speed traveling device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing in an L / K control unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a distance L to a lane boundary line ahead of the host vehicle and a lateral displacement y for calculating a predicted course-out time.

12 is a diagram showing an example of changing the inter-vehicle distance setting / alarm setting in S440 of FIG. 10 (when the driver operation for the lost alarm is excessively sensitive).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing the inter-vehicle distance setting and the alarm setting in S450 in FIG. 10 (when the driver operation for the lost alarm is appropriate).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing in the L / K control unit according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Inter-vehicle distance sensor 30 Tracking controller 41 CCD camera 42 Image processing unit 50 L / K control unit 60 Alarm / display device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) 12 B60T 7/12 C F B62D 6/00 B62D 6/00 F02D 29/02 301 F02D 29/02 301D // B62D 113: 00 B62D 113: 00 137: 00 137: 00 F term (reference) 3D032 CC21 DA03 DA25 EB11 EC21 FF01 FF02 3D041 AA41 AA74 AA76 AA80 AB01 AC00 AC01 AC16 AC26 AD10 AD23 AD31 AD41 AD46 AD50 AE00 AE04 AE41 AF01 AF07 3D044 AA01 AA11 AA24 AA25 AA35 AC16 AC22 AC24 AC26 H04 AE17 AE07 AE04 HH08 HH16 HH17 HH2 0 HH22 HH36 MM34 3G093 AA01 AA05 BA04 BA23 CB10 CB12 DA06 DB00 DB03 DB11 DB15 DB16 DB18 EA07 EA09 EB03 EB04 FA04 FA11

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A vehicular travel control device having a vehicle environment recognizing means for recognizing an environment around a vehicle, and performing automatic control of acceleration / deceleration or steering of the vehicle according to a recognition result of the vehicle environment recognizing means. Environment recognition determining means for determining whether the vehicle environment recognizing means can recognize the environment around the vehicle; and lost alarm issuing means for giving an alarm when the vehicle environment recognizing means is determined to be unable to recognize the environment around the vehicle. Operation response measuring means for measuring a driver's operation response from a time immediately after the lost alarm was issued until a predetermined time; operation response evaluation means for evaluating the state of the measured operation response; and And a setting changing means for changing at least one of the control setting and the alarm setting. 2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle travel control device detects an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle and performs acceleration / deceleration control so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined value. The vehicle environment recognizing means may be means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle of the own vehicle and the own vehicle, and the operation response measuring means may be a driver's brake operation or steering operation for a predetermined time immediately after issuing a lost alarm. And a means for measuring at least one of the following reactions. 3. The travel control device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the operation response evaluation means evaluates that the response is excessive due to the driver's response operation amount immediately after the lost warning being equal to or more than a predetermined value. Means for setting, when the reaction is evaluated as being too sensitive, the control inter-vehicle distance setting thereafter is set to be longer than when it is evaluated that the reaction is not too sensitive. A travel control device for a vehicle, comprising: 4. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation response evaluation means determines that the reaction is appropriate when the driver's operation amount immediately after the lost warning is less than a predetermined value. When the response is evaluated to be appropriate, the control inter-vehicle distance setting is set shorter than when the response is not evaluated to be appropriate. A travel control device for a vehicle, comprising: 5. The traveling control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the traveling control device for a vehicle detects a relative lateral displacement of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling lane and performs steering control so that the own vehicle stays within the traveling lane. The vehicle environment recognizing means as means for detecting the relative lateral displacement of the vehicle with respect to the traveling lane; and the operation response measuring means for the driver's brake operation or steering operation for a predetermined time immediately after issuing a lost alarm. And a means for measuring at least one of the following reactions. 6. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 5, wherein the operation response evaluation means evaluates that the response is excessive due to the driver's response operation amount immediately after the lost alarm being equal to or greater than a predetermined value. When the response is evaluated as being too sensitive, the setting change means is located at a more central position in the traveling lane than when the response is not evaluated as being more sensitive. And a means for changing the setting so that the setting can be performed. 7. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation response evaluator is configured to determine that the reaction is excessive when the driver's operation amount immediately after the lost warning is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The setting changing means is characterized in that, when the reaction is evaluated as being too sensitive, the subsequent alarm setting is changed to a setting that further raises the driver's attention. Vehicle travel control device. 8. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation response evaluation means determines that the reaction is appropriate when the driver's operation amount immediately after the lost warning is less than a predetermined value. The setting changing means is characterized in that when the reaction is evaluated to be appropriate, the subsequent alarm setting is changed to a setting that does not draw the driver's attention more. Vehicle travel control device. 9. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the number of times that the reaction operation amount of the driver immediately after the lost warning is evaluated by the operation response evaluation unit to be less than a predetermined value is determined. An integrated value storage means for storing an integrated value from the start of control is provided, and the setting change means is provided so that, when the stored integrated value exceeds a predetermined value, a subsequent alarm setting is set so as not to draw the driver's attention more. A travel control device for a vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle travel control device is changed to: 10. The travel control device for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein when the setting change means changes the alarm setting to a setting that does not draw the driver's attention more, it is determined whether or not to change to the driver. A travel control device for a vehicle, wherein a means for performing a setting change in response to a driver's change permission operation after asking for a judgment. 11. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation response evaluation means is configured to determine a magnitude of a reaction operation amount of a driver immediately after a lost alarm and a response operation amount from a lost alarm to the start of a reaction. A vehicle travel control device comprising means for comprehensively judging time and a vehicle state when the environment around the vehicle cannot be detected and evaluating an operation response. 12. A vehicle travel control device comprising: vehicle environment recognizing means for recognizing an environment around a vehicle; and performing automatic control of acceleration / deceleration or steering of the vehicle according to a recognition result of the vehicle environment recognizing means. Environment recognition determining means for determining whether the vehicle environment recognizing means can recognize the environment around the vehicle; vehicle condition determining means for determining whether the vehicle environment is safe based on the recognized vehicle surrounding environment; and Recognition is possible, and only when it is determined that there is no safe vehicle condition from the recognized vehicle surrounding environment, the vehicle environment recognition means simulates an alarm indicating that the vehicle surrounding environment cannot be recognized. Simulated lost alarm issuing means to be given, operation response measuring means for measuring a driver's operation response from a time immediately after the simulated lost alarm is issued to a predetermined time, and a state of the measured operation response is evaluated. A travel control device for a vehicle, comprising: an operation response evaluation unit; and a setting change unit that changes at least one of a subsequent control setting and an alarm setting based on an operation response evaluation result. 13. The cruise control device for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle condition judging means is means for continuing the vehicle condition judgment based on the environment recognition even during the issuance of the simulated lost alarm. A traveling control device for a vehicle, further comprising an alarm actuating means for issuing an alarm by another means when it is determined that the vehicle is not in a safe vehicle condition. 14. The driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the operation response evaluation means is configured to perform a reaction by determining that a reaction operation amount of the driver immediately after the simulated lost alarm is less than a predetermined value. A vehicle travel control device comprising: means for evaluating appropriateness; and first simulated lost alarm stopping means for stopping the issuance of a simulated lost alarm when the reaction is evaluated to be appropriate. . 15. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 12, further comprising: integrated value storage means for storing an integrated value of the number of times that the surrounding environment of the vehicle cannot be recognized since the start of the control. If the total number of times exceeds a predetermined value,
A travel control device for a vehicle, further comprising a second simulated lost alarm stopping means for stopping the issuance of the simulated lost alarm.